Now I do know, once again, that these were intended as art pieces rather than toys, but I wanted them in their classic costumes so here they are. And the costuming is faithful, and the figures are gorgeous, particularly Black Canary in the little bolero jacket. Zatanna is permanently looking up (she can look up, or she can look up higher) which unfortunately makes her appear to have a bit of a double chin, but on the whole is very nice. Zatanna comes with a hat, which falls off regardless of how you pose her, and a wand, which is very small and easily lost (ask how I know).
Playability is of course minimal. Knees and elbows bend. Canary can sit but Zatanna cannot; Zatanna, however, has far better arm movement and her waist and neck turn, neither of which is an option for Canary. Both have wrist motion. Really they aren't bad for this line of figure.
Now, if they come out with a Black Canary in her current costume (one that's not the Identity Crisis figure) I am probably still in the market. While Zatanna is fine with the limited mobility, Canary is a far more physically active hero and it would be nice to have a figure of her that could actually fight.
The thing I found most surprising is that the fishnets (which both wear) are real. I assumed they'd be painted on, but they're not--and there's a heck of a seam in the back, too! But they look fine from the front, and possibly just didn't work painted on (I imagine the knee joint would have been dificult to do well).
So would I recommend these as toys? No, they're obviously not intended for that. But I'm pleased with them.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Green Lantern Corps Action Figures: Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner
Since I already have the JLA Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, I decided to give him some company and get Hal and Guy as well. I was afraid that there would be some height discrepancy, but as it turns out they're all about the same height, and possess approximately the same degree of articulation, which is to say minimal but playable. In other words they go together.
(Rules of hasic-level playability: Being able to sit down is important for playability, because you need to be able to ride in a Barbie car. Anyone in a cape probably can't sit down but capes look good so are tolerated, and Batman can always stand up in the back seat, arms raised, as if on a spring break bender. Being able to stand up is somewhat less important, but still nice. Heads and waists should turn. Anything else is gravy.)
I'm really impressed with the facial detailing on these figures--Hal looks like Hal, and Guy looks like Guy, complete with raised eyebrow and sneer. Good costume detail as well, current costumes (a little disappointing because it means that when they get around to making a Kyle Rayner figure, he won't be in the original with the crab mask :(). They stand well and can sit comfortably, and turn at the neck although not the waist so they do come up a bit short on the playability scale. Both have some wrist movement, and Hal is also able to move his ankles a bit and cock his head to one side.
So yes, I'd recommend these as toys, keeping in mind that they are only basically articulated. I like them a lot!
(Rules of hasic-level playability: Being able to sit down is important for playability, because you need to be able to ride in a Barbie car. Anyone in a cape probably can't sit down but capes look good so are tolerated, and Batman can always stand up in the back seat, arms raised, as if on a spring break bender. Being able to stand up is somewhat less important, but still nice. Heads and waists should turn. Anything else is gravy.)
I'm really impressed with the facial detailing on these figures--Hal looks like Hal, and Guy looks like Guy, complete with raised eyebrow and sneer. Good costume detail as well, current costumes (a little disappointing because it means that when they get around to making a Kyle Rayner figure, he won't be in the original with the crab mask :(). They stand well and can sit comfortably, and turn at the neck although not the waist so they do come up a bit short on the playability scale. Both have some wrist movement, and Hal is also able to move his ankles a bit and cock his head to one side.
So yes, I'd recommend these as toys, keeping in mind that they are only basically articulated. I like them a lot!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Marvel Select Action Figure: She-Hulk
I'm not sure how pertinent playability is to a discussion of this figure because it seems pretty obvious that that wasn't a consideration during the design process--so I'll cover that second! (Because in this house, if it looks like a toy, it will be played with.)
She-Hulk is a title I enjoy every month, so I grabbed this up (at 40% off!) as soon as I saw it. First of all, she looks great, tall and muscular, and a face very much like that in her current title. I have no complaints about her appearance, and don't think they could have done much better.
She comes as part of a set including herself and a semi-crushed Jeep for her to lift, one-handed, over her head (and three plastic plumes of smoke used to actually support the vehicle), This actually doesn't work all that well and--once assembled--is likely to topple over at the least provocation. But in theory it's a good concept, Jennifer in a strength pose, and they certainly get points for that.
But playability? Not so much. (And I'll note again that I know she wasn't really built for that--but in case anyone is looking for a playable She-Hulk and is less forgiving than our household, you may want to wait.) She's moderately articulated--waist turns, head turns as much as the hair will permit, knees and elbows bend--but the right arm is problematic in terms of making her do anything other than hold an object over her head because it won't move down any lower than shoulder-level. The left hand is also frozen in the holding-up-a-jeep position. One toe is permanently flexed, and she stands with one hip jutted to the side so that if you move her legs in any other way her butt looks odd.
Now, this is not a big problem for the eight-year-old (yes, she had a birthday since last I mentioned her), who has also taken away her lifting Jeep for smaller figures to sit in. She can sit well, and her right arm is considerably more useful than her left. So we're not unhappy with her overall. Just not recommending her as a toy primarily to play with.
She-Hulk is a title I enjoy every month, so I grabbed this up (at 40% off!) as soon as I saw it. First of all, she looks great, tall and muscular, and a face very much like that in her current title. I have no complaints about her appearance, and don't think they could have done much better.
She comes as part of a set including herself and a semi-crushed Jeep for her to lift, one-handed, over her head (and three plastic plumes of smoke used to actually support the vehicle), This actually doesn't work all that well and--once assembled--is likely to topple over at the least provocation. But in theory it's a good concept, Jennifer in a strength pose, and they certainly get points for that.
But playability? Not so much. (And I'll note again that I know she wasn't really built for that--but in case anyone is looking for a playable She-Hulk and is less forgiving than our household, you may want to wait.) She's moderately articulated--waist turns, head turns as much as the hair will permit, knees and elbows bend--but the right arm is problematic in terms of making her do anything other than hold an object over her head because it won't move down any lower than shoulder-level. The left hand is also frozen in the holding-up-a-jeep position. One toe is permanently flexed, and she stands with one hip jutted to the side so that if you move her legs in any other way her butt looks odd.
Now, this is not a big problem for the eight-year-old (yes, she had a birthday since last I mentioned her), who has also taken away her lifting Jeep for smaller figures to sit in. She can sit well, and her right arm is considerably more useful than her left. So we're not unhappy with her overall. Just not recommending her as a toy primarily to play with.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The holidays, Part 3.
Today we took the twelve-year-old to comic shops, where she was able to complete her Marvel trading cards (c. 1992) collection; when she brought the cards up to the register, the clerk said that it was only about 40 cents, and Merry Christmas, which thrilled her, and certainly made a good impression on her parents. (I guess comic trading cards haven't been the thing in some time.)
As for me, the Infinite Crisis compilation, the second Captain America Red Menace trade, and a couple of GL back issues came home with me. Oh, and toys. She-Hulk and Catwoman action figures, but I'm not opening them until I get home.
And speaking of action figures, I got a look at some of the Identity Crisis figures and damn! but they are some of the least attractive figures I've seen! I wouldn't mind a Green Arrow or an Elongated Man, but not those ones, and I don't think I'm all that picky.
As for me, the Infinite Crisis compilation, the second Captain America Red Menace trade, and a couple of GL back issues came home with me. Oh, and toys. She-Hulk and Catwoman action figures, but I'm not opening them until I get home.
And speaking of action figures, I got a look at some of the Identity Crisis figures and damn! but they are some of the least attractive figures I've seen! I wouldn't mind a Green Arrow or an Elongated Man, but not those ones, and I don't think I'm all that picky.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
The holidays, Part 2.
And today the husband and I made the comic shop tour once again, stopping at four and buying stuff at two of them. What'd I get? Two Birds of Prey trades, two Action Philosophers trades, the Infinite Crisis Companion, the Marvel Holiday Special, and a small stack of Green Lantern back issues. Oh, and four 100-packs of comic bags, because I haven't bagged a thing since I re-started my comic hobby and when I inevitably move some boxes to the back porch I'll want that protection from the occasional damp. Three shops we'd been to the last time we were here (last month), and the fourth was a new one that the third shop had directed us to when they didn't have something I was looking for--a point in favor of the third shop, BTW.
Monday, December 25, 2006
The holidays, Part 1.
It was a comic book day for the twelve-year-old; she had asked for a selection of Marvel Minimates and now has Cyclops and Emma, Rogue and Wolverine, Colossus and Beast. (She also wants some DC Minimates but those aren't due out until the spring--luckily she's fine with pre-orders.) She likes the mix-and-match aspect (Emma spent most of the morning wearing Beast's hair, and vice versa).
In addition, she discovered (some months ago) a ton of Marvel Universe trading cards, circa 1992, that I had acquired, totally disorganized, and she's been asking for a trading-card album to organize them, so she got that as well today. There aren't many missing and it's possible that she'll find the rest in the basement when we get back home. It certainly kept her occupied for a few hours today!
In addition, she discovered (some months ago) a ton of Marvel Universe trading cards, circa 1992, that I had acquired, totally disorganized, and she's been asking for a trading-card album to organize them, so she got that as well today. There aren't many missing and it's possible that she'll find the rest in the basement when we get back home. It certainly kept her occupied for a few hours today!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
A few comic thoughts
- I've re-added 52 to my get list after all. Just want to see what happens, I guess.
- I've developed a fondness for the trade paperbacks (far harder to misplace, I find) but I haven't the patience to wait, so I don't foresee ever stopping buying single issues. ( Besides, how do you know which books will eventually be put into trade form anyway?) I'm currently debating whether it's worth my while to seek out back issues of books I've developed a late appreciation for. Back in the day, that's what you did--what I did, in any case--but the existence of the trades seems to have made me less inclined to do this on a grand scale.
- Being a lemming, I got a Comicspace...thing? I'm not sure I understand it. No, actually, I'm pretty sure I don't understand it. (I don't have a Myspace, nor any desire for one, but this seemed more manageable and focused.) You add people you know, and people you don't know add you so you add them back? That's what I've been able to grasp so far. :) So whatever the etiquette is for that thing, please forgive if I screw it up because I'm betting I will. I've been on the net for something over ten years but this is a Big New Adventure for me.
- I imagine I'll be slowing my rate of posting over the next week or two, due to the holiday season.
- By the way, Good Yule, Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Joyous Solstice and/or Happy Holidays to all you fine folks in comic blogdom who have provided me entertainment and inspiration over the last seven months or so. Thank you.
Monday, December 18, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part the Last...for Now)
What WERE They Thinking?
Awesomeness on a regular basis--panels taken (usually) out of context from older comics; some of the funniest of this stuff you'll find. Recent good stuff: The Holliday Girls Were Kinky.
When Fangirls Attack
Compilation of links to blog posts and other articles concerning women in comics, whether they are creators or characters. Ragnell and Kalinara read the whole internet every day so you don't have to!
Whereof One Can Speak
Intelligent commentary on a wide range of comic-related topics, always worth a look. Recent good stuff: Skinny Is As Skinny Does.
Ye Olde Comic Booke Blogge
Good current comic discussion, comic art critiques, retellings of Silver Age classics (including plenty of Lois Lane, who is always fun!). Recent good stuff: The War On Beards.
Zamaron--A Green Lantern Femme-Site
Blog focusing on women in the world of the Green Lanterns. Relatively-recent good stuff: The Balancing Act: Hal Jordan and Women.
And that's it! I expect to be doing some additions to this list in the future, as I discover new blogs and add them to the roll, but for now I'm done. And I was surprised at how long this took. I kept finding myself distracted, wandering off into the archives of the various blogs.
I guess I'd better think of something else to write about.
Awesomeness on a regular basis--panels taken (usually) out of context from older comics; some of the funniest of this stuff you'll find. Recent good stuff: The Holliday Girls Were Kinky.
When Fangirls Attack
Compilation of links to blog posts and other articles concerning women in comics, whether they are creators or characters. Ragnell and Kalinara read the whole internet every day so you don't have to!
Whereof One Can Speak
Intelligent commentary on a wide range of comic-related topics, always worth a look. Recent good stuff: Skinny Is As Skinny Does.
Ye Olde Comic Booke Blogge
Good current comic discussion, comic art critiques, retellings of Silver Age classics (including plenty of Lois Lane, who is always fun!). Recent good stuff: The War On Beards.
Zamaron--A Green Lantern Femme-Site
Blog focusing on women in the world of the Green Lanterns. Relatively-recent good stuff: The Balancing Act: Hal Jordan and Women.
And that's it! I expect to be doing some additions to this list in the future, as I discover new blogs and add them to the roll, but for now I'm done. And I was surprised at how long this took. I kept finding myself distracted, wandering off into the archives of the various blogs.
I guess I'd better think of something else to write about.
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 12)
The Recreation Annex
Good discussion of comics old, new and independent, current reviews and Silver Age adventures. Recent good stuff: Who's reading?
The Roar Of Comics
Comic reviews, cover criticisms, costume design discussion, and character analysis, among other cool stuff. Recent good stuff: Kate Kane, Why Can't I Quit You?
The Word On The Street
A particularly disciplined blog--I admire the author's ability to post something interesting every day! (or close to it--the feature I refer to is called "312 Days of Comics," not 365--but that's still a good sight better than most of us manage!). Recent good stuff: 312 Days of Comics: Gwen Stacy!
The Zombie Mallet
New stuff, old stuff, out-of-context panels, random thoughts, cartoons, covers, and other awesomeness. Recent good stuff: The Thing Vs. Mar-vell: Not quite what we were expecting.
Title Undetermined
Always entertaining but difficult to describe, this blog is filled with comic commentary and analysis; different voices are added by Azrael and the surprisingly charming Dr. Polaris! Recent good stuff: Glorious Vengeance.
More to come...
Good discussion of comics old, new and independent, current reviews and Silver Age adventures. Recent good stuff: Who's reading?
The Roar Of Comics
Comic reviews, cover criticisms, costume design discussion, and character analysis, among other cool stuff. Recent good stuff: Kate Kane, Why Can't I Quit You?
The Word On The Street
A particularly disciplined blog--I admire the author's ability to post something interesting every day! (or close to it--the feature I refer to is called "312 Days of Comics," not 365--but that's still a good sight better than most of us manage!). Recent good stuff: 312 Days of Comics: Gwen Stacy!
The Zombie Mallet
New stuff, old stuff, out-of-context panels, random thoughts, cartoons, covers, and other awesomeness. Recent good stuff: The Thing Vs. Mar-vell: Not quite what we were expecting.
Title Undetermined
Always entertaining but difficult to describe, this blog is filled with comic commentary and analysis; different voices are added by Azrael and the surprisingly charming Dr. Polaris! Recent good stuff: Glorious Vengeance.
More to come...
Sunday, December 17, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 11)
Take Back The Knight
Another GirlWonder.org-hosted blog, always something new to think about. Recent good stuff: A few words about Catwoman, One Year Later.
The Absorbascon
One of the most reliably entertaining, truly funny comic blogs out there, featuring a wide range of comic material. Recent good stuff: The Absorbascon Answers the Big Questions.
The Comic Treadmill
Analytic yet broad-based comic reviews, character pieces, humorous bits and comic-related media, presented from a firm understanding of comic history. Recent good stuff: The Scaled-Down Smack-Down, Round 5.
The Diary of Ralph Dibny
Often-hilarious "diary" of the Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny, based on his recent adventures in DC's 52 series. Possibly not to everyone's taste, and really you would expect the joke to be getting old by now, but so far it's still making me laugh regularly.
The Legion Omnicom
Legion of Superheroes blog with a focus on the older incarnations of the LSH in addition to discussion of the current title and other current appearances of Legion members. Recent good stuff: Legion Halloween.
More on its way...
Another GirlWonder.org-hosted blog, always something new to think about. Recent good stuff: A few words about Catwoman, One Year Later.
The Absorbascon
One of the most reliably entertaining, truly funny comic blogs out there, featuring a wide range of comic material. Recent good stuff: The Absorbascon Answers the Big Questions.
The Comic Treadmill
Analytic yet broad-based comic reviews, character pieces, humorous bits and comic-related media, presented from a firm understanding of comic history. Recent good stuff: The Scaled-Down Smack-Down, Round 5.
The Diary of Ralph Dibny
Often-hilarious "diary" of the Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny, based on his recent adventures in DC's 52 series. Possibly not to everyone's taste, and really you would expect the joke to be getting old by now, but so far it's still making me laugh regularly.
The Legion Omnicom
Legion of Superheroes blog with a focus on the older incarnations of the LSH in addition to discussion of the current title and other current appearances of Legion members. Recent good stuff: Legion Halloween.
More on its way...
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 10)
Shelly's Comic Book Shelf
I have a particular fondness for this blog because the writer is one of few comic bloggers who are not twenty years my junior--makes me feel not quite so ancient once in a while :). And it's a very good blog, full of comic reviews and discussion of current issues in comicdom, always with a good grasp of comic history. Another Blow To My Childhood Memories.
Silver Age Comics
Silver Age comics hold a special place in my heart, growing up in that era as I did, and I'm always surprised at how much I still remember about those old books. This blog remembers, too, and is always good for a nostalgia bath! Recent good stuff: Classic Stories of the 1960s: Super-Menace.
Snap Judgments
Basic and detailed reviews of current titles, character studies that make sense (one of the strongest features of this blog), commentary on art, trends and other aspects of comics. Recent good stuff: It Almost Makes Sense… Almost.
Snark Free Waters
One of the more organized comic blogs out there--themes, games, questions to consider, comic countdowns (funniest comic, most serious superhero, etc.) and always featuring dynamic, dramatic comic images. Recent good stuff:
2nd Funniest Comic Book - Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America.
Spoilt!
Those of us on a comic budget have got to love the concept behind this blot--all-you-need-to-know plot descriptions of many current books. It's a real boon when one is trying to keep track of crossovers and big company-wide events without overspending. I've even been known to give a new book a try after reading a synopsis here!
More to come...
I have a particular fondness for this blog because the writer is one of few comic bloggers who are not twenty years my junior--makes me feel not quite so ancient once in a while :). And it's a very good blog, full of comic reviews and discussion of current issues in comicdom, always with a good grasp of comic history. Another Blow To My Childhood Memories.
Silver Age Comics
Silver Age comics hold a special place in my heart, growing up in that era as I did, and I'm always surprised at how much I still remember about those old books. This blog remembers, too, and is always good for a nostalgia bath! Recent good stuff: Classic Stories of the 1960s: Super-Menace.
Snap Judgments
Basic and detailed reviews of current titles, character studies that make sense (one of the strongest features of this blog), commentary on art, trends and other aspects of comics. Recent good stuff: It Almost Makes Sense… Almost.
Snark Free Waters
One of the more organized comic blogs out there--themes, games, questions to consider, comic countdowns (funniest comic, most serious superhero, etc.) and always featuring dynamic, dramatic comic images. Recent good stuff:
2nd Funniest Comic Book - Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America.
Spoilt!
Those of us on a comic budget have got to love the concept behind this blot--all-you-need-to-know plot descriptions of many current books. It's a real boon when one is trying to keep track of crossovers and big company-wide events without overspending. I've even been known to give a new book a try after reading a synopsis here!
More to come...
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 9)
Redhead Fangirl
Informative and informed blog discussing comics and other media. Good reviews, commentary on comic-related issues, a feminist point of view. Recent good stuff: #1 Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Oracle.
Reporting On Marvels And Legends
Reviews of current comics, plot and character analysis, a sharp eye for comic inconsistencies, and adorable pandas. Recent good stuff: To Do Nothing Is Also An Option.
Return To Comics
Extended, intelligent reviews of current books, commentary on the comic world, discussion of comic issues (such as variant covers). Recent good stuff: DC, Marvel and the Female Reader.
Rokk's Comic Book Revolution
Good, descriptive comic reviews with extensive commentary, providing both entertainment and food for thought--I've been known to go out and buy a book after having read one of Rokk's Reviews. Recent good stuff: Justice League of America #4.
Seven Hells
Always funny, always memorable blog, Seven Hells has brought us not only Lady Cop but also Kyle Rayner, ADULT!. I'm always happy to see a post from here appear on my Bloglines. Recent good stuff: Ten Heroes To Liven Up Your Holiday Party: Blackhawk
More soon...
Informative and informed blog discussing comics and other media. Good reviews, commentary on comic-related issues, a feminist point of view. Recent good stuff: #1 Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Oracle.
Reporting On Marvels And Legends
Reviews of current comics, plot and character analysis, a sharp eye for comic inconsistencies, and adorable pandas. Recent good stuff: To Do Nothing Is Also An Option.
Return To Comics
Extended, intelligent reviews of current books, commentary on the comic world, discussion of comic issues (such as variant covers). Recent good stuff: DC, Marvel and the Female Reader.
Rokk's Comic Book Revolution
Good, descriptive comic reviews with extensive commentary, providing both entertainment and food for thought--I've been known to go out and buy a book after having read one of Rokk's Reviews. Recent good stuff: Justice League of America #4.
Seven Hells
Always funny, always memorable blog, Seven Hells has brought us not only Lady Cop but also Kyle Rayner, ADULT!. I'm always happy to see a post from here appear on my Bloglines. Recent good stuff: Ten Heroes To Liven Up Your Holiday Party: Blackhawk
More soon...
Saturday, December 16, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 8)
Postmodernbarney.com
One of my first stops when going through my blogroll, this blog has consistently good comic reviews, media finds, and great out-of-context panels. I read it all, even the non-comic related posts (and that's saying something, the way I zoom through the blogs some mornings!). Recent good stuff: Sublimation Ahoy!
Pretty, Fizzy Paradise
Another read-it-first blog, Kalinara's writing is both inspirational (in that--along with the next blog on the list--she inspired me to start my own comic blog) and persuasive (in that--along with the next blog on the list--she got this Marvel girl started buying DC comics because she just made them sound so inviting!). Always interesting and well-written. Recent good stuff: Pardon My Language.
Ragnell's Written World
This blog is the other main reason my own blog exists, and is additionally responsible for my becoming interested in Green Lantern (and if you knew how dull I thought GL was when I was a kid, you'd realize how significant this is!). Both thought-provoking and entertaining. Recent good stuff: On Harsh Criticism.
Random Happenstance
Great discussion of older comics, insightful character studies (including a firm understanding of the always-complex Dr. Doom), analysis of Silver Age titles--all the fun stuff, in other words. Recent good stuff: Unless they make an action figure of him, that Talky Tawny/Man-Wolf crossover's not gonna happen.
Random Panels
Just like it says, panels taken--usually well free of context--from older books, sometimes embellished, often presented in all their native glory. This blog has a knack for digging up the Silver Age silliness, and has provided me with many laugh-out-loud moments. Recent good stuff: Stop! Hammertime!
More soon to come...
One of my first stops when going through my blogroll, this blog has consistently good comic reviews, media finds, and great out-of-context panels. I read it all, even the non-comic related posts (and that's saying something, the way I zoom through the blogs some mornings!). Recent good stuff: Sublimation Ahoy!
Pretty, Fizzy Paradise
Another read-it-first blog, Kalinara's writing is both inspirational (in that--along with the next blog on the list--she inspired me to start my own comic blog) and persuasive (in that--along with the next blog on the list--she got this Marvel girl started buying DC comics because she just made them sound so inviting!). Always interesting and well-written. Recent good stuff: Pardon My Language.
Ragnell's Written World
This blog is the other main reason my own blog exists, and is additionally responsible for my becoming interested in Green Lantern (and if you knew how dull I thought GL was when I was a kid, you'd realize how significant this is!). Both thought-provoking and entertaining. Recent good stuff: On Harsh Criticism.
Random Happenstance
Great discussion of older comics, insightful character studies (including a firm understanding of the always-complex Dr. Doom), analysis of Silver Age titles--all the fun stuff, in other words. Recent good stuff: Unless they make an action figure of him, that Talky Tawny/Man-Wolf crossover's not gonna happen.
Random Panels
Just like it says, panels taken--usually well free of context--from older books, sometimes embellished, often presented in all their native glory. This blog has a knack for digging up the Silver Age silliness, and has provided me with many laugh-out-loud moments. Recent good stuff: Stop! Hammertime!
More soon to come...
Not exactly comic related...
...but I noticed that Dracula (the original, Bela Lugosi version) was on television tonight so I put it on, because I can always watch Bela. Turns out this one has a new musical soundtrack, by Philip Glass. And it's not bad, but I've seen Dracula so many times that it just seems wrong! It's freaking me out, man!
As for comics and comic-related paraphernalia in our house, we now have Avengers Mansion in the living room, in the form of the twelve-year-old's old Little Tikes dollhouse. It's on a six inch scale, and coincidentally most of the action figures are approximately six inches tall, so they have moved in. Except for Giant Man, who has to sit on the roof.
As for comics and comic-related paraphernalia in our house, we now have Avengers Mansion in the living room, in the form of the twelve-year-old's old Little Tikes dollhouse. It's on a six inch scale, and coincidentally most of the action figures are approximately six inches tall, so they have moved in. Except for Giant Man, who has to sit on the roof.
Friday, December 15, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 7)
League of Substitute Superheroes
Blog hosted at the excellent Girl-Wonder.org site (if you haven't seen it, you should! :)) featuring comic commentary focusing on women in comics, written by a number of guest columnists. Recent good stuff: Sexualizing Powerful Poses.
Legion Abstract
Blog focusing on the Legion of Superheroes, including review and discussion of the current book and animated series, character studies, and the occasional non-Legion-specific piece. The best place to find out how DC compares to Marvel, according to the blogoverse. Recent good stuff: The Legionnaires: Invisible Kid.
Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin
A little of everything in the comic world--reviews of current books, great finds fromt the Silver Age and earlier, kids' comics including a recent focus on Archie comics, comic news and links to the best of the rest of the blog world. Recent good stuff: "I must have punk on the brain!"
Occasional Superheroine
Formerly a smart, witty comic blog, currently the home of the moving and harrowing "Goodbye to Comics." Read it if you haven't.
Of Course, Yeah!
Comic news, reviews of new books, discussion of older books, always lively and often humorous. Relatively-recent good stuff: This On-Again, Off-Again business.
More soon...
Blog hosted at the excellent Girl-Wonder.org site (if you haven't seen it, you should! :)) featuring comic commentary focusing on women in comics, written by a number of guest columnists. Recent good stuff: Sexualizing Powerful Poses.
Legion Abstract
Blog focusing on the Legion of Superheroes, including review and discussion of the current book and animated series, character studies, and the occasional non-Legion-specific piece. The best place to find out how DC compares to Marvel, according to the blogoverse. Recent good stuff: The Legionnaires: Invisible Kid.
Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin
A little of everything in the comic world--reviews of current books, great finds fromt the Silver Age and earlier, kids' comics including a recent focus on Archie comics, comic news and links to the best of the rest of the blog world. Recent good stuff: "I must have punk on the brain!"
Occasional Superheroine
Formerly a smart, witty comic blog, currently the home of the moving and harrowing "Goodbye to Comics." Read it if you haven't.
Of Course, Yeah!
Comic news, reviews of new books, discussion of older books, always lively and often humorous. Relatively-recent good stuff: This On-Again, Off-Again business.
More soon...
Thursday, December 14, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 6)
Fortress of Soliloquy
Intelligent and opinionated comic review and analysis, great comic and media finds, and the excellent (and ambitious) breakdown of Infinite Crisis, Crisis On Infinite Crises. Joseph Campbell and comics are a natural, but where else do you see it? Recent good stuff: On Bizarro Blog, us do opposite of all blogohedron things!
Four The First Time
I love the concept behind this blog--a detailed analysis of the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four comic book, starting with issue #1 back in 1961 (see, the FF are even older than me!) I've really been enjoying it. Recent good stuff: Fantastic Four #4.
Get-a-Life Boy's LSH Blog
I'm a long-time fan of the Legion of Superheroes (not so much the current book, and it makes me sad to step away, but the cognitive dissonance is too much for me), and I really like this blog, which keeps me updated on the doings of the Legion throughout the DC Universe. If and when the time comes for me to reenter the world of the Legion, I'll know it thanks to this blog.
Jog - The Blog
Good, consistent, informed reviews of a wide range of comics--a diverse blog that makes you use your brain (ow! :)). Recent good stuff: Creator Owned, The Spirit #1
Lady, That's My Skull
Discussion of current and older comics, out-of-context content from the Silver Age and beyond, always something new and usually something hilarious. Recent good stuff: Stan Lee Says STFU, True Believers!
More to come...
Intelligent and opinionated comic review and analysis, great comic and media finds, and the excellent (and ambitious) breakdown of Infinite Crisis, Crisis On Infinite Crises. Joseph Campbell and comics are a natural, but where else do you see it? Recent good stuff: On Bizarro Blog, us do opposite of all blogohedron things!
Four The First Time
I love the concept behind this blog--a detailed analysis of the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four comic book, starting with issue #1 back in 1961 (see, the FF are even older than me!) I've really been enjoying it. Recent good stuff: Fantastic Four #4.
Get-a-Life Boy's LSH Blog
I'm a long-time fan of the Legion of Superheroes (not so much the current book, and it makes me sad to step away, but the cognitive dissonance is too much for me), and I really like this blog, which keeps me updated on the doings of the Legion throughout the DC Universe. If and when the time comes for me to reenter the world of the Legion, I'll know it thanks to this blog.
Jog - The Blog
Good, consistent, informed reviews of a wide range of comics--a diverse blog that makes you use your brain (ow! :)). Recent good stuff: Creator Owned, The Spirit #1
Lady, That's My Skull
Discussion of current and older comics, out-of-context content from the Silver Age and beyond, always something new and usually something hilarious. Recent good stuff: Stan Lee Says STFU, True Believers!
More to come...
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 5)
Dave's Long Box
Wonderful reviews and discussion of older comics, including plenty of Silver Age gems. Dave has a knack for finding the best comics, in or out of context, and his analysis is always a good read. Recent good stuff: Justice League of America #208 (1982)
Double Articulation
Good reviews of current comics, discussion of older books, character analysis, fun bits of history. Recent good stuff: Kirby's Best Character Design: The Thing.
Facedown In The Gutters
Discussion of current and classic comics, "Things I Learned From Comic Books Lately." Recent good stuff: Oh my god, he posted something!" (It's about the Superfriends, a show I never saw as a kid because our antenna didn't pick up its network, but I've been developing an appreciation for it via the internet.)
Filing Cabinet Of The Damned
Enthusiastic, always entertaining blog including comic talk (including my beloved Silver Age), character studies, and general awesomeness. Recent good stuff: You Could Remake Wings of Desire. Or Not.
Fortress of Fortitude
Blog featuring discussion of older comics, out-of-context panels (always fun), and a good selection of Silver Age material. Lately featuring posts on the original Spider-Woman book, which is more than okay by me. Recent good stuff: Welcome To The Doll House.
More to come...
Wonderful reviews and discussion of older comics, including plenty of Silver Age gems. Dave has a knack for finding the best comics, in or out of context, and his analysis is always a good read. Recent good stuff: Justice League of America #208 (1982)
Double Articulation
Good reviews of current comics, discussion of older books, character analysis, fun bits of history. Recent good stuff: Kirby's Best Character Design: The Thing.
Facedown In The Gutters
Discussion of current and classic comics, "Things I Learned From Comic Books Lately." Recent good stuff: Oh my god, he posted something!" (It's about the Superfriends, a show I never saw as a kid because our antenna didn't pick up its network, but I've been developing an appreciation for it via the internet.)
Filing Cabinet Of The Damned
Enthusiastic, always entertaining blog including comic talk (including my beloved Silver Age), character studies, and general awesomeness. Recent good stuff: You Could Remake Wings of Desire. Or Not.
Fortress of Fortitude
Blog featuring discussion of older comics, out-of-context panels (always fun), and a good selection of Silver Age material. Lately featuring posts on the original Spider-Woman book, which is more than okay by me. Recent good stuff: Welcome To The Doll House.
More to come...
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 4)
Comics Ate My Brain
Extensive, detailed analysis of new and old comics with a real sense of history behind it. Recent good stuff: this excellent discussion of the story of Terra from the old New Teen Titans book.
Comics Crew
Comic news, reviews, and discussion, including other media. Recent good stuff: Reality Check.
Comics Fairplay
Good, pointed comic reviews and interviews, as well as wide-ranging discussion of comic news, comic issues, and even the comic blogosphere! Recent good stuff: Wizard 2006 Year End Awards: My Take.
Comics Should Be Good
Good mix of comic analysis and review, with plenty of good recurring features such as the always-interesting "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed." Recent good (and ambitious!) stuff: Why Secret Wars II Was A Bad Crossover.
Dance Of The Puppets
Insightful comic disussion, often focusing on women in comics. Lately featuring a number of posts on the Silver Age Teen Titans, which I've much enjoyed. Recent good stuff: The real secret origin of the Teen Titans.
More soon...
Extensive, detailed analysis of new and old comics with a real sense of history behind it. Recent good stuff: this excellent discussion of the story of Terra from the old New Teen Titans book.
Comics Crew
Comic news, reviews, and discussion, including other media. Recent good stuff: Reality Check.
Comics Fairplay
Good, pointed comic reviews and interviews, as well as wide-ranging discussion of comic news, comic issues, and even the comic blogosphere! Recent good stuff: Wizard 2006 Year End Awards: My Take.
Comics Should Be Good
Good mix of comic analysis and review, with plenty of good recurring features such as the always-interesting "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed." Recent good (and ambitious!) stuff: Why Secret Wars II Was A Bad Crossover.
Dance Of The Puppets
Insightful comic disussion, often focusing on women in comics. Lately featuring a number of posts on the Silver Age Teen Titans, which I've much enjoyed. Recent good stuff: The real secret origin of the Teen Titans.
More soon...
Monday, December 11, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 3)
Chris's Invincible Super-Blog
Great comic reviews and discussion of new books and old--always, always worth reading, and funny as hell. Recent good stuff: Christmas Special: The Batman's Last Christmas!
Comic Book Commentary
Reviews of a diversity of comics, news from the comic world, links to just about anything comic-related you'd want to know. Recent good stuff: Help Wanted: Comics Promoters?
Comic Book Critique
This blog hasn't updated for about six months, but I'm keeping it on my blogroll because it had such good reviews of books I was interested in. If posts ever start appearing again, well, Bloglines will undoubtedly let me know!
Comic Books: The Silent Killers
Another rarely-updated blog, but well worth keeping on the roll because when something does appear there, it's good. Reviews are detailed and informed. Relatively-recent good stuff: Batman #657: Hope You Brought Your Shark Repellent...
Comic Coverage
Excellent discussion of mostly-older comics and comic-related toys. There's always something here I haven't seen before and it's always good. I particularly like the posts tracking themes within comics, such as this Recent Good Stuff: Cover to Cover: "I've Fallen, And I Can't Get Up!"
More to come...
Great comic reviews and discussion of new books and old--always, always worth reading, and funny as hell. Recent good stuff: Christmas Special: The Batman's Last Christmas!
Comic Book Commentary
Reviews of a diversity of comics, news from the comic world, links to just about anything comic-related you'd want to know. Recent good stuff: Help Wanted: Comics Promoters?
Comic Book Critique
This blog hasn't updated for about six months, but I'm keeping it on my blogroll because it had such good reviews of books I was interested in. If posts ever start appearing again, well, Bloglines will undoubtedly let me know!
Comic Books: The Silent Killers
Another rarely-updated blog, but well worth keeping on the roll because when something does appear there, it's good. Reviews are detailed and informed. Relatively-recent good stuff: Batman #657: Hope You Brought Your Shark Repellent...
Comic Coverage
Excellent discussion of mostly-older comics and comic-related toys. There's always something here I haven't seen before and it's always good. I particularly like the posts tracking themes within comics, such as this Recent Good Stuff: Cover to Cover: "I've Fallen, And I Can't Get Up!"
More to come...
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 2)
Bags and Boards
Concise reviews of diverse comics, news from the comic world, always timely and to the point. Not the kind of info I necessarily find elsewhere (and if I had a local comic shop I'd probably look into more of the indies mentioned here) and a nice balance of mainstream and less well-known comic information.
Beam In On This, Will You?
Witty commentary on current comics, and the best mood icon theme I've ever seen. Plus I'm a sucker for the Silver Age awesomeness, every time.
BeaucoupKevin(dot)com
A good mix of modern comic info and reviews and wonderful Silver Age finds, along with other fun stuff. Recent good stuff: Jimmy Olson in "The Human Octopus".
Blockade Boy
Fashion-oriented blog focusing mainly on the Silver and Bronze age (due presumably to the vast arrays of material available there). Always a hoot. Recent good stuff: Tweed Christmas! (really it's about Power Man and Iron Fist, go look!).
Bully Says: Comics Ought To Be Fun
Comic reviews and discussion by a little stuffed bull with access to, apparently, a larger comic collection than I can personally imagine. The commentary is always excellent, and I always look forward to "Ten of a Kind." Recent good stuff: Ten Of A Kind: How Can I Save My Little Boy From Oppenheimer's Deadly Toy?
More on their way...
Concise reviews of diverse comics, news from the comic world, always timely and to the point. Not the kind of info I necessarily find elsewhere (and if I had a local comic shop I'd probably look into more of the indies mentioned here) and a nice balance of mainstream and less well-known comic information.
Beam In On This, Will You?
Witty commentary on current comics, and the best mood icon theme I've ever seen. Plus I'm a sucker for the Silver Age awesomeness, every time.
BeaucoupKevin(dot)com
A good mix of modern comic info and reviews and wonderful Silver Age finds, along with other fun stuff. Recent good stuff: Jimmy Olson in "The Human Octopus".
Blockade Boy
Fashion-oriented blog focusing mainly on the Silver and Bronze age (due presumably to the vast arrays of material available there). Always a hoot. Recent good stuff: Tweed Christmas! (really it's about Power Man and Iron Fist, go look!).
Bully Says: Comics Ought To Be Fun
Comic reviews and discussion by a little stuffed bull with access to, apparently, a larger comic collection than I can personally imagine. The commentary is always excellent, and I always look forward to "Ten of a Kind." Recent good stuff: Ten Of A Kind: How Can I Save My Little Boy From Oppenheimer's Deadly Toy?
More on their way...
Sunday, December 10, 2006
What's On My Blogroll? (Part 1)
If it weren't for the comic internet, specifically the vast blog community, I probably wouldn't be writing this blog at all. You guys are inspiring. I've got a long, long blogroll, and I'm making it a long-term project to say what it is that I like about what's on it. Because I love it when people talk about the blogs they like so I can find new things to read.
(Not all of these are strictly comic-related, but that's what I'm focusing on. Also, please ignore the non-standard alphabetization, it'll help me keep track of where I am.)
52 Pickup
A wonderfully detailed week-by-week discussion of DC's 52 series. Even though I've been reading 52 so far, this blog has been immensely helpful because, as only a recent DC reader, I just don't know a lot of the characters and history that you need to in order to read this series without confusion. Thanks to 52 Pickup I'm far less lost than I would be otherwise.
A Trout In The Milk
Consistently one of the most intelligent comic blogs out there, I come here whenever I need to stop feeling quite so smart. :) Always thought-provoking. Recent good stuff: Anxiety, The Secret Identity, And The Ten Basic Superhero Plots.
About Heroes
Good solid comic reviews, both complete and to the point. In addition to the blog itself, posts are organized by type and thus easy to find (see their rants section, for example).
Again With The Comics
Current comics, older comics, character pieces, good-humored and often damn funny. Recent good stuff: Character Obscura: Hellcat.
Arrogant Self-Reliance
Thoughtful and critical blog, its web address named for the always-delightful Etta Candy of Golden Age Wonder Woman fame. Recent good stuff: Just Not Feminist Enough: A Brief Review of Wonder Woman #3.
More to come...
(Not all of these are strictly comic-related, but that's what I'm focusing on. Also, please ignore the non-standard alphabetization, it'll help me keep track of where I am.)
52 Pickup
A wonderfully detailed week-by-week discussion of DC's 52 series. Even though I've been reading 52 so far, this blog has been immensely helpful because, as only a recent DC reader, I just don't know a lot of the characters and history that you need to in order to read this series without confusion. Thanks to 52 Pickup I'm far less lost than I would be otherwise.
A Trout In The Milk
Consistently one of the most intelligent comic blogs out there, I come here whenever I need to stop feeling quite so smart. :) Always thought-provoking. Recent good stuff: Anxiety, The Secret Identity, And The Ten Basic Superhero Plots.
About Heroes
Good solid comic reviews, both complete and to the point. In addition to the blog itself, posts are organized by type and thus easy to find (see their rants section, for example).
Again With The Comics
Current comics, older comics, character pieces, good-humored and often damn funny. Recent good stuff: Character Obscura: Hellcat.
Arrogant Self-Reliance
Thoughtful and critical blog, its web address named for the always-delightful Etta Candy of Golden Age Wonder Woman fame. Recent good stuff: Just Not Feminist Enough: A Brief Review of Wonder Woman #3.
More to come...
Friday, December 08, 2006
Three Cool Things About the Black Knight
1. The Scientific Mystic. Dane Whitman, noted physicist (or whatever--in the Marvel universe scientific disciplines seem to overlap a bit) and rational mind finds himself beset over and over by curses, the spirits of his ancestors, and strange women lying in ponds distributing swords, and is mostly okay with it all. I seem to recall a bit where he comments on being a little rusty on the science because of all the magical time-traveling, but on the whole he seems able to accept both reason and mysticism without a lot of difficulty.
2. The Emo without the Whiny. Wherever the Knight goes, drama is sure to follow (see earlier post on this subject). But in spite of it all he does relatively little feeling sorry for himself and is such a good soul that you never really get annoyed with him.
3. The Sword. Because swords are cool. The armor, not so much (the twelve-year-old tells me that he probably can't get a date because of his "dorky costume"). But the sword? Definitely.
2. The Emo without the Whiny. Wherever the Knight goes, drama is sure to follow (see earlier post on this subject). But in spite of it all he does relatively little feeling sorry for himself and is such a good soul that you never really get annoyed with him.
3. The Sword. Because swords are cool. The armor, not so much (the twelve-year-old tells me that he probably can't get a date because of his "dorky costume"). But the sword? Definitely.
Monday, December 04, 2006
The November '06 Comics [Spoilers]
52 26-29, All-New Atom #5, Birds of Prey #100, Earth's Mightiest Heroes 2 #1 and 2, Iron Man #13, Irredeemable Ant-Man #2, JLA Classified #29, Justice League of America #3, Moon Knight #6, Ms. Marvel #9, New Avengers #25, Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #24, >Wonder Woman #3
This month's comic discussion is focused on the chopping block--which books stay? Which books go? Which have job security and which had best not slip up or "kkkkhh"? Other than that, they're short and shallow, sorry. If I have deeper thoughts on any of these books, I'll write a separate entry.
52 #26
I was pleased to see the entire Sivana clan here, having read about the first two Sivana kids in some book on the history of comics. Since I don't know the history that well, I've no idea if the characterization of the elder siblings (Beautia and Magnificus) reflects the originals (I believe they came first in the Captain Marvel books). I will say that once again my favorite bits are those on the mad scientists' island. At this point, though, my main thing with the 52 books is whether or not I see anything in them that will get me to start adding them to the get list again. So far, no. Going, going, gone.
52 #27
So why is it that the Spectre does not currently have a human host, anyway? I've been losing interest in the Question/Montoya storyline, although I expect that to change. The Ralph story, which I thought had paled a bit, was better this time and maintains an uncertainty that I like. The origin in back, which generally I haven't cared for, was useful this time.
52 #28
Well, I still like Starfire, because I almost always like Starfire. And there was a bit more of Batwoman, although still not enough to really give us a sense of her. And I'd have expected that by now I'd care more about the Question--enough to care if he lives or dies, in any case, and so far I don't. I do realize that a weekly book is more likely than most to be spotty in terms of quality.
52 #29
The Luthor-created hero storyline still fails to compel, although it's not wholly uninteresting. And the mad scientist island storyline is still the most interesting. And I still haven't gone to add the next month's issues to my order. I guess they have another month to win me back! :)
All-New Atom #5
Still a lot of fun. I'm not quite getting why adult college professor Ryan Cho has to get his dad to let him stay, but when that's the biggest problem I have as far as suspended disbelief goes, it's not a bad thing. Ryan is fun. Panda is fun. Most of the villains are fun. Ryan's dad--not so fun, but that's all right. Keeper.
Birds of Prey #100
I'm still enjoying this title a lot. I guess I don't have to miss Black Canary too much since apparently she's going to be in the new Justice League book. And I'm happy to see Barda, and I'm developing an appreciation for Zinda, and I have no idea who Manhunter is although I guess she has her own book? Fun book, as always. Definite keeper.
Earth's Mightiest Heroes 2 #1 and 2
When I saw this in the solicits I was thrilled, because I'd so enjoyed the first series. But I'm really disappointed this time and I'm not entirely sure why. While I liked the first one very much, I don't think it was good enough that another similar series would inevitably pale by comparison, but that's what seems to be happening here. Right now I'll just assume that it's going to get better, but damn it, this was supposed to be the good stuff from Marvel this month... Keeper only because it's a bimonthly series and I've already ordered it all.
Green Lantern #14
This might just be my first copy of Green Lantern ever. It was all right. Not great, but all right. I have a few more issues on order, and then I can make up my mind. On the fence, tipping toward off.
Green Lantern Corps #6
On the whole it has been Soranik Natu who has been carrying this book for me, but I guess I've also been picking up on some of the other Lanterns as well because I really want to know what Isamot is going to do next issue! Currently on the keep list.
Iron Man #13
Well, it was nice to read a story with IM in it and not spend the whole time thinking to myself "Okay, now how are they going to salvage Tony after this?...wait, what's he doing now? gah!" which has been the usual thing recently. At least you see him thinking here. But guys, please don't kill Happy Hogan, dammit! Keeper because of the nostalgia factor.
Irredeemable Ant-Man #2
The best thing about this book is that it's unpredictable. (And I'm still enjoying the notion that there are SHIELD agents and then there are SHIELD agents--that while many are in fact Bondian types, there are also a number that are the equivalent of mall security as far as skill and training go...and while I'm not sure that idea works that well on the whole, in this case it's a hoot.) Not as good as issue #1 but still on the get list.
JLA Classified #29
I don't get this book regularly, but I do when the story featues a lineup I like. Right now it's featuring the Morrison era League, so I'm getting this story arc. (I'd also happily get books about the "Not Necessaily the Justice League" era League but I'm guessing those won't be forthcoming.) Not a bad story if a bit political for my usual preferences, but since I don't yet know if I'll like the new League much, I'm enjoying it. I don't think I'm getting the next arc but I'll keep an eye open for the next arc that interests me.
Justice League of America #3
At this point this is a keeper because I think I might like it at some point, not so much because I love it now. Except for the awesomeness of Black Canary, which is always to love, even if I can't look at her underwear riding up in back (that's not a thong, it's a wedgie) without cringing. Hawkgirl hasn't done much yet and is still far more interesting than in her own book. And while I suspect I'm supposed to like the Red Tornado by now, so far I can't seem to muster much interest. I gather he was more interesting in the old days? Still a keeper but a bit disappointing.
Moon Knight #6
This one's still got me, despite it being not exactly the sort of book I usually go for. (I've got the Essential Moon Knight in the other room, have not read it yet and not sure whether I should--would it complement or interfere with my understanding of this series?) In any case, I like that there's always some point at which I'm not quite sure what's going on. I like the sense of faith that's present in Marc's interactions with Khonshu (regardless of how--or whether--those are taking place). I'm still liking this book. Keeper.
Ms. Marvel #9
Cool thing: Rogue and Ms. Marvel are on the verge of a misunderstanding-based battle, and they don't fight, they figure out what the deal is (two Carols, one from an alternate universe) and go from there. Seriously, how often do you see that--super-powered beings thinking first and hitting only later if necessary? Other cool thing: Carol has been focusing recently on how much better things could have been for her. It's the source of her recent drive. But here, in the alternate Carol, she sees as well how much worse they could have been as well--how she could have failed but did not. At this point her reaction is disgust with the alternate Carol, who represents a far different "could have been." I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out in future issues. And! Not a Civil War issue! Keeper, obviously.
New Avengers #25
Too much Civil War, not enough actual New Avengers. And a way annoying bit where Maria Hill talks about how damn incompetent she is. No, I don't like her (you're not supposed to), but this is a really uncomfortable turn of events, making her so explicitly an unworthy adversary. If I weren't such a die-hard Avengers fan, and if I weren't hoping that I see the light at the end of the tunnel...but I am and I do, so this one is still a keeper. They're making it damn hard, though.
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #24
This might be the last issue we get, I'm not sure, although I suppose if the twelve-year-old decides she wants it we'll get it. (She's decided she wants Teen Titans as TPBs so that's off the list of monthlies. I'm glad to see that Supergirl is back in the group, although less glad to see that she's apparently being portrayed as not very bright. (Or is that because her super-brain doesn't work under a red sun?) As for me, it's an okay book, but I'm clearly not in its intended audience and I don't see that changing. Currently gone.
Wonder Woman #3
The twelve-year-old hasn't read this one yet, but once she has, her vote will decide whether we keep getting it. I quite like the art, but the story hasn't drawn me in yet. Although I want to like this book, right now it's off the keep-at-all-costs list, though not off the get list entirely.
Not in this month's shipment and missed: Captain America and Ion.
Possibly adding to the get list: New Excalibur. Also Justice Society of America, mainly because the twelve-year-old really likes Stargirl.
This month's comic discussion is focused on the chopping block--which books stay? Which books go? Which have job security and which had best not slip up or "kkkkhh"? Other than that, they're short and shallow, sorry. If I have deeper thoughts on any of these books, I'll write a separate entry.
52 #26
I was pleased to see the entire Sivana clan here, having read about the first two Sivana kids in some book on the history of comics. Since I don't know the history that well, I've no idea if the characterization of the elder siblings (Beautia and Magnificus) reflects the originals (I believe they came first in the Captain Marvel books). I will say that once again my favorite bits are those on the mad scientists' island. At this point, though, my main thing with the 52 books is whether or not I see anything in them that will get me to start adding them to the get list again. So far, no. Going, going, gone.
52 #27
So why is it that the Spectre does not currently have a human host, anyway? I've been losing interest in the Question/Montoya storyline, although I expect that to change. The Ralph story, which I thought had paled a bit, was better this time and maintains an uncertainty that I like. The origin in back, which generally I haven't cared for, was useful this time.
52 #28
Well, I still like Starfire, because I almost always like Starfire. And there was a bit more of Batwoman, although still not enough to really give us a sense of her. And I'd have expected that by now I'd care more about the Question--enough to care if he lives or dies, in any case, and so far I don't. I do realize that a weekly book is more likely than most to be spotty in terms of quality.
52 #29
The Luthor-created hero storyline still fails to compel, although it's not wholly uninteresting. And the mad scientist island storyline is still the most interesting. And I still haven't gone to add the next month's issues to my order. I guess they have another month to win me back! :)
All-New Atom #5
Still a lot of fun. I'm not quite getting why adult college professor Ryan Cho has to get his dad to let him stay, but when that's the biggest problem I have as far as suspended disbelief goes, it's not a bad thing. Ryan is fun. Panda is fun. Most of the villains are fun. Ryan's dad--not so fun, but that's all right. Keeper.
Birds of Prey #100
I'm still enjoying this title a lot. I guess I don't have to miss Black Canary too much since apparently she's going to be in the new Justice League book. And I'm happy to see Barda, and I'm developing an appreciation for Zinda, and I have no idea who Manhunter is although I guess she has her own book? Fun book, as always. Definite keeper.
Earth's Mightiest Heroes 2 #1 and 2
When I saw this in the solicits I was thrilled, because I'd so enjoyed the first series. But I'm really disappointed this time and I'm not entirely sure why. While I liked the first one very much, I don't think it was good enough that another similar series would inevitably pale by comparison, but that's what seems to be happening here. Right now I'll just assume that it's going to get better, but damn it, this was supposed to be the good stuff from Marvel this month... Keeper only because it's a bimonthly series and I've already ordered it all.
Green Lantern #14
This might just be my first copy of Green Lantern ever. It was all right. Not great, but all right. I have a few more issues on order, and then I can make up my mind. On the fence, tipping toward off.
Green Lantern Corps #6
On the whole it has been Soranik Natu who has been carrying this book for me, but I guess I've also been picking up on some of the other Lanterns as well because I really want to know what Isamot is going to do next issue! Currently on the keep list.
Iron Man #13
Well, it was nice to read a story with IM in it and not spend the whole time thinking to myself "Okay, now how are they going to salvage Tony after this?...wait, what's he doing now? gah!" which has been the usual thing recently. At least you see him thinking here. But guys, please don't kill Happy Hogan, dammit! Keeper because of the nostalgia factor.
Irredeemable Ant-Man #2
The best thing about this book is that it's unpredictable. (And I'm still enjoying the notion that there are SHIELD agents and then there are SHIELD agents--that while many are in fact Bondian types, there are also a number that are the equivalent of mall security as far as skill and training go...and while I'm not sure that idea works that well on the whole, in this case it's a hoot.) Not as good as issue #1 but still on the get list.
JLA Classified #29
I don't get this book regularly, but I do when the story featues a lineup I like. Right now it's featuring the Morrison era League, so I'm getting this story arc. (I'd also happily get books about the "Not Necessaily the Justice League" era League but I'm guessing those won't be forthcoming.) Not a bad story if a bit political for my usual preferences, but since I don't yet know if I'll like the new League much, I'm enjoying it. I don't think I'm getting the next arc but I'll keep an eye open for the next arc that interests me.
Justice League of America #3
At this point this is a keeper because I think I might like it at some point, not so much because I love it now. Except for the awesomeness of Black Canary, which is always to love, even if I can't look at her underwear riding up in back (that's not a thong, it's a wedgie) without cringing. Hawkgirl hasn't done much yet and is still far more interesting than in her own book. And while I suspect I'm supposed to like the Red Tornado by now, so far I can't seem to muster much interest. I gather he was more interesting in the old days? Still a keeper but a bit disappointing.
Moon Knight #6
This one's still got me, despite it being not exactly the sort of book I usually go for. (I've got the Essential Moon Knight in the other room, have not read it yet and not sure whether I should--would it complement or interfere with my understanding of this series?) In any case, I like that there's always some point at which I'm not quite sure what's going on. I like the sense of faith that's present in Marc's interactions with Khonshu (regardless of how--or whether--those are taking place). I'm still liking this book. Keeper.
Ms. Marvel #9
Cool thing: Rogue and Ms. Marvel are on the verge of a misunderstanding-based battle, and they don't fight, they figure out what the deal is (two Carols, one from an alternate universe) and go from there. Seriously, how often do you see that--super-powered beings thinking first and hitting only later if necessary? Other cool thing: Carol has been focusing recently on how much better things could have been for her. It's the source of her recent drive. But here, in the alternate Carol, she sees as well how much worse they could have been as well--how she could have failed but did not. At this point her reaction is disgust with the alternate Carol, who represents a far different "could have been." I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out in future issues. And! Not a Civil War issue! Keeper, obviously.
New Avengers #25
Too much Civil War, not enough actual New Avengers. And a way annoying bit where Maria Hill talks about how damn incompetent she is. No, I don't like her (you're not supposed to), but this is a really uncomfortable turn of events, making her so explicitly an unworthy adversary. If I weren't such a die-hard Avengers fan, and if I weren't hoping that I see the light at the end of the tunnel...but I am and I do, so this one is still a keeper. They're making it damn hard, though.
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #24
This might be the last issue we get, I'm not sure, although I suppose if the twelve-year-old decides she wants it we'll get it. (She's decided she wants Teen Titans as TPBs so that's off the list of monthlies. I'm glad to see that Supergirl is back in the group, although less glad to see that she's apparently being portrayed as not very bright. (Or is that because her super-brain doesn't work under a red sun?) As for me, it's an okay book, but I'm clearly not in its intended audience and I don't see that changing. Currently gone.
Wonder Woman #3
The twelve-year-old hasn't read this one yet, but once she has, her vote will decide whether we keep getting it. I quite like the art, but the story hasn't drawn me in yet. Although I want to like this book, right now it's off the keep-at-all-costs list, though not off the get list entirely.
Not in this month's shipment and missed: Captain America and Ion.
Possibly adding to the get list: New Excalibur. Also Justice Society of America, mainly because the twelve-year-old really likes Stargirl.
Friday, December 01, 2006
And another reason why kids don't read comics so much
It's not just the cost, although I'm sure that plays an important role. It's not the kid- vs. adult-oriented thing. It's location.
When I was a kid (you know, I start off way too many of these posts that way) I remember getting my comics at the local corner grocery/party type store. You could sometimes find them in the magazine section of the grocery store. (Obviously there were no stores specifically for comics, and I didn't go to newsstands at that point.) They had one of those spinning racks, I think. You could also get older comics, sealed in plastic bags in groups of two or three, minus a chunk of the front cover.
Point is, the comics were sold in places where I tended to go. If I stopped at the store for a pop or some candy or whatever, the comics were there as well. Maybe while I was waiting for my friend to decide between a Milky Way and a Snickers I'd look through the rack. I saw them on a regular basis. I knew where they were. They were always more or less in my world.
Now when my kids want to pick up a comic (in addition to the ones we get by mail), we have to go out of our way to get them to the one newsstand in a 15-mile radius that carries any at all. It's not a place they'd go on their own. If they didn't have a comic-loving mom, chances are that comics wouldn't even be on their radar.
When I was a kid (you know, I start off way too many of these posts that way) I remember getting my comics at the local corner grocery/party type store. You could sometimes find them in the magazine section of the grocery store. (Obviously there were no stores specifically for comics, and I didn't go to newsstands at that point.) They had one of those spinning racks, I think. You could also get older comics, sealed in plastic bags in groups of two or three, minus a chunk of the front cover.
Point is, the comics were sold in places where I tended to go. If I stopped at the store for a pop or some candy or whatever, the comics were there as well. Maybe while I was waiting for my friend to decide between a Milky Way and a Snickers I'd look through the rack. I saw them on a regular basis. I knew where they were. They were always more or less in my world.
Now when my kids want to pick up a comic (in addition to the ones we get by mail), we have to go out of our way to get them to the one newsstand in a 15-mile radius that carries any at all. It's not a place they'd go on their own. If they didn't have a comic-loving mom, chances are that comics wouldn't even be on their radar.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Off the get list
I've just placed my two-months-from-now comic order, and 52 isn't in it. Now, if it turns out that there's something especially compelling in the box that's due this week I may reconsider, but as it is I've been enjoying it less and less as it goes on, and that's $10 a month, after all. All else being equal, I suspect that weeklies will always be cut before monthlies, just because of the money factor. Besides, I can always find out what goes on there on the internet, right?
Guess that means I'm not doing my duty as a comic fan :).
Guess that means I'm not doing my duty as a comic fan :).
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Comics to Remember: Adventure #356, "The Five Legion Orphans" (1967) [Spoilers]
It's not a very large sample, but between this book and the Wonder Woman I discussed a few posts ago, I'd say that when I was five, a sure way to get me to buy a comic was to feature the regular characters turned into children. Or possibly that was a sure way to get my dad to pick that book to bring home to me, I don't recall. (Incidentally, the brown spots on the pics are from where the staples rusted over the years.)
In any case, here is Adventure 356, in 1967 the source for Legion of Superheroes stories. The story begins on Parents' Day, apparently a far more significant holiday in the 30th century, celebrated with parades and extensive media coverage of the parents of celebrities:
In the mean time, those Legionnaires without parents are stuck with monitor duty, and some are feeling a bit sorry for themselves, which isn't entirely unreasonable:
Suddenly the orphan Legionnaires are interrupted by a distress call from the planet Zinth. A valuable power crystal has been stolen by raiders and dropped into a pool of water. Mon-El and Superboy go search for the raiders (unsuccessfully) while Brainiac 5, Dream Girl and Element Lad don masks which will allow them to breathe underwater and go after the crystal. It's heavy, but the three manage to carry it out--until they find themselves growing weaker and are forced to drop it. When they emerge from the pool, it's apparent that they are only weaker because they are now younger, due to the effect of the water. Mon-El and Superboy return to find their friends transformed, and--assuming that they will be invulnerable to whatever is in the water--they go after the crystal themselves. Unfortunately they're wrong, and although they rescue the crystal, pretty soon they suffer the same fate as their companions. As toddlers they retain their powers, but not their memories--except for Brainiac 5 and his twelfth-level intellect.
They are immediately taken off to the Interstellar Orphanage. Please note the resemblance of the orphanage to a zoo--it seems designed for display more than anything else. (Also please note that Silver Age Brainy had a lot more respect for Dream Girl's powers than he has in his last few incarnations.)
Pretty soon the child-sized Leionnaires are on display as well, and the kids all try their best to get adopted by showing their abilities.
All are adopted and leave for their new homes. As for why Brainiac 5--who remembers who they all are!--doesn't tell anyone what happened, I can't figure out. Heck, he could have gotten back to his own lab and fixed 'em all. (I'll put it down to artistic license.) Instead, he sneaks into his new dad's lab to try to figure things out. This is not difficult, since apparently parenting on this planet doesn't involve anything resembling actually watching the kids. You'd think that someone who had just adopted a child would want to spend some time with him or her, but not here.
And that's a good thing for li'l Brainiac 5, because it enables him to save the day.
A "pleasant surprise"? Brainiac 5 is displaying his power of super-understatement here, I think...
As a kid, I don't think I thought much about it, but damn, this is a dark story. I can only imagine how it would be told today.
In any case, here is Adventure 356, in 1967 the source for Legion of Superheroes stories. The story begins on Parents' Day, apparently a far more significant holiday in the 30th century, celebrated with parades and extensive media coverage of the parents of celebrities:
In the mean time, those Legionnaires without parents are stuck with monitor duty, and some are feeling a bit sorry for themselves, which isn't entirely unreasonable:
Suddenly the orphan Legionnaires are interrupted by a distress call from the planet Zinth. A valuable power crystal has been stolen by raiders and dropped into a pool of water. Mon-El and Superboy go search for the raiders (unsuccessfully) while Brainiac 5, Dream Girl and Element Lad don masks which will allow them to breathe underwater and go after the crystal. It's heavy, but the three manage to carry it out--until they find themselves growing weaker and are forced to drop it. When they emerge from the pool, it's apparent that they are only weaker because they are now younger, due to the effect of the water. Mon-El and Superboy return to find their friends transformed, and--assuming that they will be invulnerable to whatever is in the water--they go after the crystal themselves. Unfortunately they're wrong, and although they rescue the crystal, pretty soon they suffer the same fate as their companions. As toddlers they retain their powers, but not their memories--except for Brainiac 5 and his twelfth-level intellect.
They are immediately taken off to the Interstellar Orphanage. Please note the resemblance of the orphanage to a zoo--it seems designed for display more than anything else. (Also please note that Silver Age Brainy had a lot more respect for Dream Girl's powers than he has in his last few incarnations.)
Pretty soon the child-sized Leionnaires are on display as well, and the kids all try their best to get adopted by showing their abilities.
All are adopted and leave for their new homes. As for why Brainiac 5--who remembers who they all are!--doesn't tell anyone what happened, I can't figure out. Heck, he could have gotten back to his own lab and fixed 'em all. (I'll put it down to artistic license.) Instead, he sneaks into his new dad's lab to try to figure things out. This is not difficult, since apparently parenting on this planet doesn't involve anything resembling actually watching the kids. You'd think that someone who had just adopted a child would want to spend some time with him or her, but not here.
And that's a good thing for li'l Brainiac 5, because it enables him to save the day.
A "pleasant surprise"? Brainiac 5 is displaying his power of super-understatement here, I think...
As a kid, I don't think I thought much about it, but damn, this is a dark story. I can only imagine how it would be told today.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Real comic shops!
I didn't expect to be posting for a while as we're out of town visiting relatives, but it turns out I've got a chance, so here I am.
Since we are out of town, and in an actual city, we took the opportunity today to visit several comic book shops (there are none in our small town, of course). I never did get to comic shops often, and probably haven't been to one in something over ten years, so I wasn't sure what to expect since I was sure they had changed since way-back-when in the days of speculation.
Store #1
The first shop we stopped at, a smaller store, was a pleasant surprise. We (myself, husband, twelve-year-old and seven-year-old) walked in and the first thing we saw was an entire display of kid-oriented comics, from Marvel Adventures to Archie. There was a full wall of trade paperbacks, a good selection of mainstream comic titles (and I have to admit I didn't check out the indies because I wasn't thinking of doing a post on this at the time), a moderate selection of action figures, and a smallish collection of back issues. There was also (and this was the highlight for the seven-year-old) the "best vending machine in the world," and each girl got herself a little superhero bobble-head figure--the twelve-year-old got Storm and the seven-year-old got the Black Cat so both were thrilled. (These were the only two female figures available in the machine, and the twelve-year-old loves Storm and the seven-year-old loves cats, so really it couldn't have been more perfect.) While we were there, another parent with children came in, so clearly this was a family-friendly store. When I asked for assistance finding an item, the proprietor was friendly and helpful and knew exactly where it was. The store was clean, reasonably well-organized, and welcoming, and probably would have been so for non-comic fans as well. Although small, it was not crowded although it was about as well stocked as it could be.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Stan Lee Meets the Thing; for the seven-year-old, Astonishing X-Men; for myself, all seven volumes of Twisted Toyfare Theatre (whee!).
Grade: A
Store #2
The second store we found was really more of a gaming store--they had a separate gaming room set up, which is a very cool idea (and the gaming stuff probably makes a lot of comic shops commercially viable, since comics alone are no longer as saleable as they were in the 90s). It was a much larger store, and in fact advertised that fact, but they could probably fit quite a bit more in it as it was quite roomy. Good selection of new comics of all sorts (everything in the store seems to be bagged). Nice selection of action figures of many sorts. Moderate selection of TPBs. Very roomy. Also had a section devoted to kids' books, although I only saw teenagers while I was there, no doubt because of the Friday night gaming sessions.
When I asked about back issues I was pointed to the back room, a large storeroom-type room with a couch, tables (presumably for extra gaming room) and a lot of longboxes. I sat down to look, but since I hadn't planned on getting to a shop this trip I hadn't made a list, and really I have no idea which Green Lantern back issues I'd want without having made a list. They had some back issues which hadn't been checked in yet fully, but if you wanted one you could bring it to the checkout and they'd price it for you and you could decide whether you wanted it at that price or not, which is probably fine if you're familiar with back-issue pricing, but I am not and haven't been in probably fifteen years, so I didn't bother, particularly as we were running late anyway. If I hadn't thought to ask, I wouldn't have known that the back room existed, because it really doesn't look like part of the store. Once we were in there, an older man came in and asked if I needed any help, which I did, so they obviously keep track of their customers--just need a bigger sign with an arrow, I guess! :)
This store seemed more fan-oriented than the first one and had a very club-like atmosphere, which for me is fine because I'm comfortable just about anywhere and I am a comic fan, but I can see where someone who was new to comics might have felt a little out of their depth. The girls and I were the only females in the place, but didn't feel at all out of place because of it.
Purchased: Volume 5 of the Teen Titans TPB series, for the twelve-year-old.
Grade: B-
Store #3
We went into this one and the husband and I both said that this was what a comic book store was supposed to look like--table after table filled with longboxes! At least that was what they all seemed to look like back in the day, when we were just thrilled that they existed at all. Back then comic stores just had comics. This one had a small gaming section but was primarily devoted to comics and related items.
There were separate dollar boxes for less-valuable books, a very good selection of back issues, a decent selection of trade paperbacks (although still not the GL TPS I was looking for!), a small action-figure section, a small hardback section, a very good selection of new comics. A comfortable atmosphere, although probably not someplace you'd stay for hours on end. Younger crowd, approximately equal male/female mix (the clerk was female as well). Less cozy than the first store but certainly friendly.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Ultimate Power. For the seven-year-old, Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four. For me, the Captain America: Red Menace TPB.
Grade: A-
[Added later, because we hit one more shop on the way out of town.]
Store #4
This was another comic-shop-that-looks-like-a-comic-shop, with plenty of back-issue longboxes, a no-frills atmosphere and a definite comic focus. Not huge, a bit crowded and awkward to get around. Good selection of new books, moderate selection of trades, moderate selection of back issues. And the best customer service of any place we went.
The husband dropped us off this time, and the two kids and I went in. We passed the new comic shelf, and went on to the trades, which were on the wall behind the longboxes. After we'd been there a little while, the clerk (proprietor?) came up to us to see if we were finding what we wanted. He asked the girls what they were interested in (he actually talked to them instead of asking me, the parent--although since they're both a bit shy at times I did help out). When he found out that the twelve-year-old loves Birds of Prey he showed us the newest trade. When he learned that the seven-year-old likes the X-Men he found us a small paperback telling the story of Storm as a little girl, which the seven-year-old wouldn't let out of her hands the entire time we were in the store. He noticed the girls admiring a Zatanna action figure and let us know about a Zatanna series that's going to be coming out. He and I talked a little about comics as well. The guy behind the counter was also friendly and helpful. When we left the store, they both made a point of saying goodbye. Now that's how we like to be treated in a comic shop. He didn't point the girls to the "girl books", or even the "kid books"--he made a point of seeing what they actually liked. If life is fair, that guy should be in business for a long time to come.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, the latest Birds of Prey trade and the most recent Heroes for Hire. For the seven-year-old, a book on Storm as a child which is apparently still in the car at the moment. For me, New Excalibur 13.
Grade: A
Since we are out of town, and in an actual city, we took the opportunity today to visit several comic book shops (there are none in our small town, of course). I never did get to comic shops often, and probably haven't been to one in something over ten years, so I wasn't sure what to expect since I was sure they had changed since way-back-when in the days of speculation.
Store #1
The first shop we stopped at, a smaller store, was a pleasant surprise. We (myself, husband, twelve-year-old and seven-year-old) walked in and the first thing we saw was an entire display of kid-oriented comics, from Marvel Adventures to Archie. There was a full wall of trade paperbacks, a good selection of mainstream comic titles (and I have to admit I didn't check out the indies because I wasn't thinking of doing a post on this at the time), a moderate selection of action figures, and a smallish collection of back issues. There was also (and this was the highlight for the seven-year-old) the "best vending machine in the world," and each girl got herself a little superhero bobble-head figure--the twelve-year-old got Storm and the seven-year-old got the Black Cat so both were thrilled. (These were the only two female figures available in the machine, and the twelve-year-old loves Storm and the seven-year-old loves cats, so really it couldn't have been more perfect.) While we were there, another parent with children came in, so clearly this was a family-friendly store. When I asked for assistance finding an item, the proprietor was friendly and helpful and knew exactly where it was. The store was clean, reasonably well-organized, and welcoming, and probably would have been so for non-comic fans as well. Although small, it was not crowded although it was about as well stocked as it could be.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Stan Lee Meets the Thing; for the seven-year-old, Astonishing X-Men; for myself, all seven volumes of Twisted Toyfare Theatre (whee!).
Grade: A
Store #2
The second store we found was really more of a gaming store--they had a separate gaming room set up, which is a very cool idea (and the gaming stuff probably makes a lot of comic shops commercially viable, since comics alone are no longer as saleable as they were in the 90s). It was a much larger store, and in fact advertised that fact, but they could probably fit quite a bit more in it as it was quite roomy. Good selection of new comics of all sorts (everything in the store seems to be bagged). Nice selection of action figures of many sorts. Moderate selection of TPBs. Very roomy. Also had a section devoted to kids' books, although I only saw teenagers while I was there, no doubt because of the Friday night gaming sessions.
When I asked about back issues I was pointed to the back room, a large storeroom-type room with a couch, tables (presumably for extra gaming room) and a lot of longboxes. I sat down to look, but since I hadn't planned on getting to a shop this trip I hadn't made a list, and really I have no idea which Green Lantern back issues I'd want without having made a list. They had some back issues which hadn't been checked in yet fully, but if you wanted one you could bring it to the checkout and they'd price it for you and you could decide whether you wanted it at that price or not, which is probably fine if you're familiar with back-issue pricing, but I am not and haven't been in probably fifteen years, so I didn't bother, particularly as we were running late anyway. If I hadn't thought to ask, I wouldn't have known that the back room existed, because it really doesn't look like part of the store. Once we were in there, an older man came in and asked if I needed any help, which I did, so they obviously keep track of their customers--just need a bigger sign with an arrow, I guess! :)
This store seemed more fan-oriented than the first one and had a very club-like atmosphere, which for me is fine because I'm comfortable just about anywhere and I am a comic fan, but I can see where someone who was new to comics might have felt a little out of their depth. The girls and I were the only females in the place, but didn't feel at all out of place because of it.
Purchased: Volume 5 of the Teen Titans TPB series, for the twelve-year-old.
Grade: B-
Store #3
We went into this one and the husband and I both said that this was what a comic book store was supposed to look like--table after table filled with longboxes! At least that was what they all seemed to look like back in the day, when we were just thrilled that they existed at all. Back then comic stores just had comics. This one had a small gaming section but was primarily devoted to comics and related items.
There were separate dollar boxes for less-valuable books, a very good selection of back issues, a decent selection of trade paperbacks (although still not the GL TPS I was looking for!), a small action-figure section, a small hardback section, a very good selection of new comics. A comfortable atmosphere, although probably not someplace you'd stay for hours on end. Younger crowd, approximately equal male/female mix (the clerk was female as well). Less cozy than the first store but certainly friendly.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Ultimate Power. For the seven-year-old, Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four. For me, the Captain America: Red Menace TPB.
Grade: A-
[Added later, because we hit one more shop on the way out of town.]
Store #4
This was another comic-shop-that-looks-like-a-comic-shop, with plenty of back-issue longboxes, a no-frills atmosphere and a definite comic focus. Not huge, a bit crowded and awkward to get around. Good selection of new books, moderate selection of trades, moderate selection of back issues. And the best customer service of any place we went.
The husband dropped us off this time, and the two kids and I went in. We passed the new comic shelf, and went on to the trades, which were on the wall behind the longboxes. After we'd been there a little while, the clerk (proprietor?) came up to us to see if we were finding what we wanted. He asked the girls what they were interested in (he actually talked to them instead of asking me, the parent--although since they're both a bit shy at times I did help out). When he found out that the twelve-year-old loves Birds of Prey he showed us the newest trade. When he learned that the seven-year-old likes the X-Men he found us a small paperback telling the story of Storm as a little girl, which the seven-year-old wouldn't let out of her hands the entire time we were in the store. He noticed the girls admiring a Zatanna action figure and let us know about a Zatanna series that's going to be coming out. He and I talked a little about comics as well. The guy behind the counter was also friendly and helpful. When we left the store, they both made a point of saying goodbye. Now that's how we like to be treated in a comic shop. He didn't point the girls to the "girl books", or even the "kid books"--he made a point of seeing what they actually liked. If life is fair, that guy should be in business for a long time to come.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, the latest Birds of Prey trade and the most recent Heroes for Hire. For the seven-year-old, a book on Storm as a child which is apparently still in the car at the moment. For me, New Excalibur 13.
Grade: A
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Lives of the Lovelorn: The Black Knight [Spoilers, of course*]
* It does seem strange saying "spoilers" about twenty-year-old comics, but there you go. There are some spoilers here for Avengers 255-293 and 348-375.
Superhero comics are known for having their portion of soap opera--loves lost, lost loves, dead loves and used-to-be-dead loves. While these tendencies vary with storyline and creative team, there are some characters who just seem prone to romantic problems--Spiderman comes to mind of course, and few heroes anywhere got as much action or as much hearthbreak as Iron Man. And just as in real life--where we all know someone who, if it weren't for bad luck, would have no luck at all in the romantic arena--there are comic book heroes who, in their personal lives, seem to make nothing but bad choices.
Case in point: Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. A Marvel second-stringer who has never had his own ongoing series but has been featured in several team books, the Black Knight just can't seem to find a woman who is interested, available, and stable. (Sometimes he manages two out of three.)
When he first encountered the Avengers back in 196? (issue #49), he was too busy fighting them to think about anything else. It was one of those typical hero-meets-heroes, heroes-think-hero-is-a-villain, hero-and-heroes-do-battle things. (It didn't help matters that Dane had taken the Black Knight mantle from his uncle, who had in fact been a super-villain and fought the Avengers in the past.) The confusion was inevitable, although eventually the Avengers figured out that this was not their old foe, but someone entirely different. In any case, at this time they parted on thorny terms.
He later joined the Avengers but went immediately to reserve status, so we didn't see a lot of him then either.
But when he finally had an extended term as an active Avenger, then we got to see him in action. This was in 1985, around issue 255. Among his fellow Avengers was Janet van Dyne, the wonderful Wasp, who was then acting as chair of the group. Jan, as always, was confident, outgoing, friendly and flirtatious. With everyone. She has almost always been portrayed that way. It's just the way she is, and it means nothing.
However, when an emotionally needy young Knight is the other party in these interactions, misunderstandings can arise. And pretty soon you've got this sort of thing going on:
But you know, this also shows one of the reasons the Black Knight is one of my favorite Avengers. Yes, here he is thinking about making his move...but do you notice why he's attracted to Jan? It's because of her confidence, her competence, her leadership skills! Impressive, even if he hasn't got a chance with her.
A few issues later, Jan and Dan are on--well, not a date, although I imagine he's thinking of it that way. She's asked him to accompany her to a celebrity gala for charity, one of the many good works of the Avengers in the mid-80s. They should have a wonderful time, if they can only run the press gauntlet. The reporters demand to know about the rumors of the Submariner (at this time an Avenger) having left the team. Jan stutters in surprise, Namor is only taking a leave of absence. The press continues to push the issue, and neither Jan nor Dane have ready answers. While the Knight stumbles to find his words, the press is distracted by the arrival at the gala of the dashing Paladin, the fellow the lovely Wasp is actually going out with at this point in time. She is, of course, thrilled and delighted to see him. The Knight is, of course, not. And it's none too long until his frustration comes to the fore:
(Jan's reaction, naturally, is somewhere in the area of "WTF?")
Not long after that, Dane realizes that his affection is unrequited and likely to stay that way, and attempts to fix the situation, managing to maintain a vaguely charming cluelessness with just a tinge of pathetic. He's set his cap for a woman who simply isn't interested in him in that way, and he takes responsibility for it--he doesn't blame her for her lack of interest, he doesn't try to press the issue when he sees that it's not going to happen, he just sees the way it is and tries to do what he can to manage his own feelings.
Soon after, he left the Avengers, returning several years later in 1992. The Wasp was not a member at this point, and since his crush had apparently dissipated by this time, he should have been doing just fine, and hopefully learned his lesson about realistic romantic goals. Also a member at this time was the beautiful Crystal, wife (separated but trying to reconcile) of Quicksilver.
And so begins one of the most uncomfortable bits of soap opera in the history of the Avengers, and a period during which the reader finds herself wondering whether some of these people have any ethical constraints whatsoever. It's also a painfully convoluted tale, and one I'm going to simplify considerably because otherwise I'd never get this written.
Dane was impressed from the start with Crystal's tactical ability and battle experience (once again, competence and skill are the first thing he notices about a potential love interest), but it wasn't long before he (sigh) started to think of her as more than a teammate. Crystal, unlike Jan, is no flirt--but she is a genuinely sweet-natured, open-hearted, warm, nice person who cares deeply about her friends. She has her issues and isn't necessarily the most emotionally mature person in any solar system, but until relatively recently she had yet to discover her inner regal bitch (see the Son of M mini). Before then, she may have been shown to be selfish, but never malicious.
When the kind-hearted Inhuman offered to help the Vision regain some of his lost emotions, Dane reacted protectively, citing a concern for her emotional state and telling the Vision that "she's looking for someone to be her support, her pillar of strength, and you kinda fit the bill," although he denied the existence of any inappropriate feeling.
Pretty soon Dane himself realized that he hadn't been quite honest with either the Vision or himself about how he felt about Crystal. Hey, it happens--a person develops a crush on someone else who is married or otherwise taken. It's unfortunate, but he can't help what he feels, and as long as he doesn't act on it, it's his own problem and no one else's. And he does his best, by trying to avoid too much contact with her, to stay away and not make his feelings known, and hopefully to get over them. So far, so good.
But it wasn't easy. As an Avenger, he had to see Crystal every day. He had to see her with her estranged husband (and former Avenger), Quicksilver. He had to deal with his own jealousy, and try his best to honestly wish her success in their reconciliation--because, really, he is a good person. It's just that when the heart is involved, even good people can find themselves thinking and doing things they really wish they wouldn't. And the Knight's heart is so easily involved.
And then there was Sersi, the mighty Eternal who had taken a shine to Dane, and wasn't the least bit shy about making her desires known. He didn't love her, but that didn't seem to matter to Sersi because she wanted him.
And as if things weren't complicated enough, Crystal herself had begun to be aware of some feelings for Dane. Not that she stopped loving her husband, that would have been too simple--but for someone like Crystal, so often led by emotion, it was difficult.
Sersi, for her part, continued to push her unwanted attentions on Dane, and eventually--worn down by Sersi's need, and desiring to do the right thing and not interfere with Crystal's troubled marriage--he agreed to become her...well, her, um...
All right, a bit of background. Sersi had been experiencing some mental and emotional difficulties, and there had been indications that she might become dangerous. The other Eternals came to get her and bring her home where she could be helped, or at least made harmless. The Avengers were disinclined to allow the removal of one of their members, but it was Dane who saved her by agreeing to become her "gann josin," which according to the Eternal Sprite was "an intimate version of the Uni-mind, a type of bonding that creates a mental union between two people and makes them lifelong soulmates." Dane was told this by Sprite because Sersi hadn't bothered to provide any meaningful context whatsoever. It's possible that, given this new information, he might have had second thoughts--only he wasn't given the chance. Without warning, the Eternal Ikaris performed the ritual transforming Dane. In a moment he was violated, mentally and emotionally:
And if that wasn't enough trauma and angst for one issue, Crystal chose that same evening to let him know that she, too, had feelings for him--and that "Pietro and I tried, but he rejected me at our last meeting." And, you know, Dane is a good guy. He tries to do the right thing. But here he had just been assaulted by a godlike being and forcibly linked to a woman he didn't love, and was already feeling the beginning of that unwelcome connection. And Crystal--the woman he did love, tells him (in rather uncertain terms, but still) that she is pretty much giving up on her marriage, or at least no longer committed to saving it. Can you really blame him if, in a moment of weakness, he takes that bit of hope and says to her "seize the moment...let's stop being noble" and, finally, kisses her? It's not heroic, but it's human, and it's understandable.
As for the rest, the next several issues were filled with steamy glances, hidden passions, regrets and the ever-present threat of Sersi's growing insanity. Finally Sersi, in a fit of rage, comes near killing Crystal, a shock that breaks the gann josin bond so that she and Dane are no longer connected. Eventually (I did say "spoilers," right?) we learn that Sersi was not responsible for any deaths, and in fact was being driven insane artificially, by an enemy. Unfortunately, by the time this was discovered she was too far gone, and elected to go alone through a dimensional rift into a pocket reality where she would be safe and cured, and could live out her days, sane and at peace. At the last moment, Dane decided to go with her--out of kindness and friendship, not of love--but he went, so that she would not be alone there.
See, that's why the Black Knight is cool. Not because he's ever going to be a major player in the Marvel Universe, because he isn't. Because he's human, and he struggles with what's right, and sometimes he falters, but in the end he is always going to come through, he is always going to make the right choice, not the easy choice. (Well, we can argue the point of whether going with Sersi was in fact the right choice--but he believed that it was.) That momentary lapse with Crystal? Not good, but under the circumstances, and after the assault and subsequent violent change he had just undergone, it was understandable. It was human. And inevitably, he fought off the temptation. Because he's a good man.
But damn, the man cannot pick a woman.
Superhero comics are known for having their portion of soap opera--loves lost, lost loves, dead loves and used-to-be-dead loves. While these tendencies vary with storyline and creative team, there are some characters who just seem prone to romantic problems--Spiderman comes to mind of course, and few heroes anywhere got as much action or as much hearthbreak as Iron Man. And just as in real life--where we all know someone who, if it weren't for bad luck, would have no luck at all in the romantic arena--there are comic book heroes who, in their personal lives, seem to make nothing but bad choices.
Case in point: Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. A Marvel second-stringer who has never had his own ongoing series but has been featured in several team books, the Black Knight just can't seem to find a woman who is interested, available, and stable. (Sometimes he manages two out of three.)
When he first encountered the Avengers back in 196? (issue #49), he was too busy fighting them to think about anything else. It was one of those typical hero-meets-heroes, heroes-think-hero-is-a-villain, hero-and-heroes-do-battle things. (It didn't help matters that Dane had taken the Black Knight mantle from his uncle, who had in fact been a super-villain and fought the Avengers in the past.) The confusion was inevitable, although eventually the Avengers figured out that this was not their old foe, but someone entirely different. In any case, at this time they parted on thorny terms.
He later joined the Avengers but went immediately to reserve status, so we didn't see a lot of him then either.
But when he finally had an extended term as an active Avenger, then we got to see him in action. This was in 1985, around issue 255. Among his fellow Avengers was Janet van Dyne, the wonderful Wasp, who was then acting as chair of the group. Jan, as always, was confident, outgoing, friendly and flirtatious. With everyone. She has almost always been portrayed that way. It's just the way she is, and it means nothing.
However, when an emotionally needy young Knight is the other party in these interactions, misunderstandings can arise. And pretty soon you've got this sort of thing going on:
But you know, this also shows one of the reasons the Black Knight is one of my favorite Avengers. Yes, here he is thinking about making his move...but do you notice why he's attracted to Jan? It's because of her confidence, her competence, her leadership skills! Impressive, even if he hasn't got a chance with her.
A few issues later, Jan and Dan are on--well, not a date, although I imagine he's thinking of it that way. She's asked him to accompany her to a celebrity gala for charity, one of the many good works of the Avengers in the mid-80s. They should have a wonderful time, if they can only run the press gauntlet. The reporters demand to know about the rumors of the Submariner (at this time an Avenger) having left the team. Jan stutters in surprise, Namor is only taking a leave of absence. The press continues to push the issue, and neither Jan nor Dane have ready answers. While the Knight stumbles to find his words, the press is distracted by the arrival at the gala of the dashing Paladin, the fellow the lovely Wasp is actually going out with at this point in time. She is, of course, thrilled and delighted to see him. The Knight is, of course, not. And it's none too long until his frustration comes to the fore:
(Jan's reaction, naturally, is somewhere in the area of "WTF?")
Not long after that, Dane realizes that his affection is unrequited and likely to stay that way, and attempts to fix the situation, managing to maintain a vaguely charming cluelessness with just a tinge of pathetic. He's set his cap for a woman who simply isn't interested in him in that way, and he takes responsibility for it--he doesn't blame her for her lack of interest, he doesn't try to press the issue when he sees that it's not going to happen, he just sees the way it is and tries to do what he can to manage his own feelings.
Soon after, he left the Avengers, returning several years later in 1992. The Wasp was not a member at this point, and since his crush had apparently dissipated by this time, he should have been doing just fine, and hopefully learned his lesson about realistic romantic goals. Also a member at this time was the beautiful Crystal, wife (separated but trying to reconcile) of Quicksilver.
And so begins one of the most uncomfortable bits of soap opera in the history of the Avengers, and a period during which the reader finds herself wondering whether some of these people have any ethical constraints whatsoever. It's also a painfully convoluted tale, and one I'm going to simplify considerably because otherwise I'd never get this written.
Dane was impressed from the start with Crystal's tactical ability and battle experience (once again, competence and skill are the first thing he notices about a potential love interest), but it wasn't long before he (sigh) started to think of her as more than a teammate. Crystal, unlike Jan, is no flirt--but she is a genuinely sweet-natured, open-hearted, warm, nice person who cares deeply about her friends. She has her issues and isn't necessarily the most emotionally mature person in any solar system, but until relatively recently she had yet to discover her inner regal bitch (see the Son of M mini). Before then, she may have been shown to be selfish, but never malicious.
When the kind-hearted Inhuman offered to help the Vision regain some of his lost emotions, Dane reacted protectively, citing a concern for her emotional state and telling the Vision that "she's looking for someone to be her support, her pillar of strength, and you kinda fit the bill," although he denied the existence of any inappropriate feeling.
Pretty soon Dane himself realized that he hadn't been quite honest with either the Vision or himself about how he felt about Crystal. Hey, it happens--a person develops a crush on someone else who is married or otherwise taken. It's unfortunate, but he can't help what he feels, and as long as he doesn't act on it, it's his own problem and no one else's. And he does his best, by trying to avoid too much contact with her, to stay away and not make his feelings known, and hopefully to get over them. So far, so good.
But it wasn't easy. As an Avenger, he had to see Crystal every day. He had to see her with her estranged husband (and former Avenger), Quicksilver. He had to deal with his own jealousy, and try his best to honestly wish her success in their reconciliation--because, really, he is a good person. It's just that when the heart is involved, even good people can find themselves thinking and doing things they really wish they wouldn't. And the Knight's heart is so easily involved.
And then there was Sersi, the mighty Eternal who had taken a shine to Dane, and wasn't the least bit shy about making her desires known. He didn't love her, but that didn't seem to matter to Sersi because she wanted him.
And as if things weren't complicated enough, Crystal herself had begun to be aware of some feelings for Dane. Not that she stopped loving her husband, that would have been too simple--but for someone like Crystal, so often led by emotion, it was difficult.
Sersi, for her part, continued to push her unwanted attentions on Dane, and eventually--worn down by Sersi's need, and desiring to do the right thing and not interfere with Crystal's troubled marriage--he agreed to become her...well, her, um...
All right, a bit of background. Sersi had been experiencing some mental and emotional difficulties, and there had been indications that she might become dangerous. The other Eternals came to get her and bring her home where she could be helped, or at least made harmless. The Avengers were disinclined to allow the removal of one of their members, but it was Dane who saved her by agreeing to become her "gann josin," which according to the Eternal Sprite was "an intimate version of the Uni-mind, a type of bonding that creates a mental union between two people and makes them lifelong soulmates." Dane was told this by Sprite because Sersi hadn't bothered to provide any meaningful context whatsoever. It's possible that, given this new information, he might have had second thoughts--only he wasn't given the chance. Without warning, the Eternal Ikaris performed the ritual transforming Dane. In a moment he was violated, mentally and emotionally:
And if that wasn't enough trauma and angst for one issue, Crystal chose that same evening to let him know that she, too, had feelings for him--and that "Pietro and I tried, but he rejected me at our last meeting." And, you know, Dane is a good guy. He tries to do the right thing. But here he had just been assaulted by a godlike being and forcibly linked to a woman he didn't love, and was already feeling the beginning of that unwelcome connection. And Crystal--the woman he did love, tells him (in rather uncertain terms, but still) that she is pretty much giving up on her marriage, or at least no longer committed to saving it. Can you really blame him if, in a moment of weakness, he takes that bit of hope and says to her "seize the moment...let's stop being noble" and, finally, kisses her? It's not heroic, but it's human, and it's understandable.
As for the rest, the next several issues were filled with steamy glances, hidden passions, regrets and the ever-present threat of Sersi's growing insanity. Finally Sersi, in a fit of rage, comes near killing Crystal, a shock that breaks the gann josin bond so that she and Dane are no longer connected. Eventually (I did say "spoilers," right?) we learn that Sersi was not responsible for any deaths, and in fact was being driven insane artificially, by an enemy. Unfortunately, by the time this was discovered she was too far gone, and elected to go alone through a dimensional rift into a pocket reality where she would be safe and cured, and could live out her days, sane and at peace. At the last moment, Dane decided to go with her--out of kindness and friendship, not of love--but he went, so that she would not be alone there.
See, that's why the Black Knight is cool. Not because he's ever going to be a major player in the Marvel Universe, because he isn't. Because he's human, and he struggles with what's right, and sometimes he falters, but in the end he is always going to come through, he is always going to make the right choice, not the easy choice. (Well, we can argue the point of whether going with Sersi was in fact the right choice--but he believed that it was.) That momentary lapse with Crystal? Not good, but under the circumstances, and after the assault and subsequent violent change he had just undergone, it was understandable. It was human. And inevitably, he fought off the temptation. Because he's a good man.
But damn, the man cannot pick a woman.
Friday, November 17, 2006
And now some Silver Age Wonder Woman goodness
Most of my old comics are sorted and in approximate order. Many are even bagged, although not boarded. But I do have a few boxes containing an assortment of books I didn't buy regularly, including some of the books I had as a young child (the ones that, somehow, managed to avoid destruction). This post is about a comic from that box.
The year was 1968. I had just turned six. And this Wonder Woman book was the only choice that day for me:
and it would have been for you, too, had you been a six-year-old girl. The cover promised pure awesomeness: the good Wonder Woman as a little girl, cowering before the great big evil Wonder Woman, who's obviously about to go all Joan Crawford on her. Obviously the story within would be even better--the triumph of good over evil, or youth over age, or both? A great battle wherein the good little Wonder Woman would win by use of her wits?
Well, no. First of all, here's how WW got into the situation in the first place. She's out on a date with Steve Trevor. They are attacked by an evil (you can tell he's evil because he's ugly) villain with a massive crush on WW, who ties Steve to a rock in the middle of a shark-filled pool and threatens to have him killed unless WW kisses him like she means it.
So Wonder Woman has a dilemma. On the one hand, she can save Steve by kissing the Gargoyle, and Steve will dump her because he's such a jerk. On the other hand, she can refuse to kiss the Gargoyle and Steve will be eaten by sharks. Well, okay, that's not such a dilemma--more of a win-win, really, in that in either case Steve is gone. But long-suffering Diana doesn't see it that way, bites the bullet and saves Steve. The ungrateful bastard.
Steve, in an apparently-typical overreaction and despite having already been saved from certain death, managed to throw enough of a fit that he flings himself into the shark pool. Again Diana is forced to save him, this time getting away from the Gargoyle herself as well. Beside herself with grief at the loss of Steve, she takes him in her nifty invisible plane to her own private island, where she attempts to save both his life and his love for her. Didn't know that that Purple Healing Ray also had a "Brainwash" setting, did you?
Poor Wonder Woman. Here she thinks she's got Steve back where she wants him (as for why she wants him, that's another matter) and here's another Wonder Woman from a parallel universe, ready to snatch him up as if he had no will of his own whatsoever (hm...). When the good WW asks her mom for advice, she's told to challenge the evil WW to a contest, with Steve as the prize. Her counterpart readily agrees, but stipulates that the contest must take place on her own home turf and that if she wins, Steve must stay with her (to which he happily accedes, fickle sonoabitch that he is).
(Please note that the matter of how this evil WW got from one Earth to the other is almost entirely ignored. To get to the evil WW's home world, each WW flies her plane into a mysterious cloud and comes out on the other side. One would think that if that's all it takes, there'd be interdimensional plane travel taking place accidentally all the time in the Silver Age DC universe. There isn't, is there?)
In any case, there they are, and the contests begin. At first the two Wonder Women are evenly matched, but pretty soon our WW finds herself falling behind, because in this world she is mysteriously turned into a teenager. Don't ask why, I didn't, but of course I was six. From then on, things go from bad to worse:
and the good little Wonder Woman is easily trounced by her older, stronger, eviller counterpart. But just when it looks as if our heroine will get to go home alone, leaving Steve stranded in that evil universe, never to return (hooray!)...
Sigh. Well, at least we don't actually see a kiss. Personally I'm hoping that she actually decided to kick him out of the plane at this point, or at least give him a firm slap across the head. That's my happy ending for this story.
Oh, and in case the reader happened to miss the point, here's the comic's author (I have to assume) making sure to drive it home:
So...did she lose? Yes. Yes, she did.
Oh, and Blogger tells me that this is my 100th post! Amazing, I feel like I just started this thing.
The year was 1968. I had just turned six. And this Wonder Woman book was the only choice that day for me:
and it would have been for you, too, had you been a six-year-old girl. The cover promised pure awesomeness: the good Wonder Woman as a little girl, cowering before the great big evil Wonder Woman, who's obviously about to go all Joan Crawford on her. Obviously the story within would be even better--the triumph of good over evil, or youth over age, or both? A great battle wherein the good little Wonder Woman would win by use of her wits?
Well, no. First of all, here's how WW got into the situation in the first place. She's out on a date with Steve Trevor. They are attacked by an evil (you can tell he's evil because he's ugly) villain with a massive crush on WW, who ties Steve to a rock in the middle of a shark-filled pool and threatens to have him killed unless WW kisses him like she means it.
So Wonder Woman has a dilemma. On the one hand, she can save Steve by kissing the Gargoyle, and Steve will dump her because he's such a jerk. On the other hand, she can refuse to kiss the Gargoyle and Steve will be eaten by sharks. Well, okay, that's not such a dilemma--more of a win-win, really, in that in either case Steve is gone. But long-suffering Diana doesn't see it that way, bites the bullet and saves Steve. The ungrateful bastard.
Steve, in an apparently-typical overreaction and despite having already been saved from certain death, managed to throw enough of a fit that he flings himself into the shark pool. Again Diana is forced to save him, this time getting away from the Gargoyle herself as well. Beside herself with grief at the loss of Steve, she takes him in her nifty invisible plane to her own private island, where she attempts to save both his life and his love for her. Didn't know that that Purple Healing Ray also had a "Brainwash" setting, did you?
Poor Wonder Woman. Here she thinks she's got Steve back where she wants him (as for why she wants him, that's another matter) and here's another Wonder Woman from a parallel universe, ready to snatch him up as if he had no will of his own whatsoever (hm...). When the good WW asks her mom for advice, she's told to challenge the evil WW to a contest, with Steve as the prize. Her counterpart readily agrees, but stipulates that the contest must take place on her own home turf and that if she wins, Steve must stay with her (to which he happily accedes, fickle sonoabitch that he is).
(Please note that the matter of how this evil WW got from one Earth to the other is almost entirely ignored. To get to the evil WW's home world, each WW flies her plane into a mysterious cloud and comes out on the other side. One would think that if that's all it takes, there'd be interdimensional plane travel taking place accidentally all the time in the Silver Age DC universe. There isn't, is there?)
In any case, there they are, and the contests begin. At first the two Wonder Women are evenly matched, but pretty soon our WW finds herself falling behind, because in this world she is mysteriously turned into a teenager. Don't ask why, I didn't, but of course I was six. From then on, things go from bad to worse:
and the good little Wonder Woman is easily trounced by her older, stronger, eviller counterpart. But just when it looks as if our heroine will get to go home alone, leaving Steve stranded in that evil universe, never to return (hooray!)...
Sigh. Well, at least we don't actually see a kiss. Personally I'm hoping that she actually decided to kick him out of the plane at this point, or at least give him a firm slap across the head. That's my happy ending for this story.
Oh, and in case the reader happened to miss the point, here's the comic's author (I have to assume) making sure to drive it home:
So...did she lose? Yes. Yes, she did.
Oh, and Blogger tells me that this is my 100th post! Amazing, I feel like I just started this thing.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Silver Age Supergirl: Fashionista!
The cover sets the stage in this 1970 issue of Supergirl. Eight-year-old Brainfreeze eagerly snatched this one up, carefully perusing the cover to make up my own mind as to which new costume Supergirl should choose. (I liked the one with the jagged boot tops and skirt, btw.)
Apparently DC had run a contest wherein readers could send in their own costume designs. Clever idea, and I think the Legion of Superheroes did something similar at some point.
In this story, Linda Danvers (Supergirl's alter ego) is a college girl in a funk. Since there's a "girl" in Supergirl, there is but one way for her to brush away her blues:
And who does she see in the clothing store but Wonder Woman, who has given up her superhero lifestyle and now runs her very own boutique. No wonder Supergirl is envious!
But even though Linda is all girl (as she's just proven to the reader), she still makes time for her superheroic duties. Here she investigates a young woman who has mysteriously appeared, comatose, on the Stanhope campus:
Um, can Supergirl do that? Read minds, I mean? Because this is the first I've heard of it.
(The girl, incidentally, had been traumatized by her experiences with an evil cult operating on campus. Because, you know, 1970.)
But Supergirl isn't the only one here displaying heretofore-unknown abilities. Here she again makes use of her Kryptonian super-telepathy, while Wonder Woman...casts a circle and conjures up a spirit?
The spirit, Morganna, is an old foe of Diana's, and is none too happy to be summoned--until she's told who is running the cult, and is then only too happy to lend a hand:
Fortunately for Linda, Diana just happened to have a brand spanking new Supergirl costume hanging on the rack! You wouldn't think there would be a lot of market for that sort of thing, but there you go.
And what about the indestructible part? Supergirl flies into volcanos, acid baths, the cold vacuum of space. Is this new costume going to hold up to that sort of thing? I'm guessing not. I'm guessing that the next time she goes into a burning building to rescue a baby, she's going to come out minus some costume. It's not a good thing.
Apparently DC had run a contest wherein readers could send in their own costume designs. Clever idea, and I think the Legion of Superheroes did something similar at some point.
In this story, Linda Danvers (Supergirl's alter ego) is a college girl in a funk. Since there's a "girl" in Supergirl, there is but one way for her to brush away her blues:
And who does she see in the clothing store but Wonder Woman, who has given up her superhero lifestyle and now runs her very own boutique. No wonder Supergirl is envious!
But even though Linda is all girl (as she's just proven to the reader), she still makes time for her superheroic duties. Here she investigates a young woman who has mysteriously appeared, comatose, on the Stanhope campus:
Um, can Supergirl do that? Read minds, I mean? Because this is the first I've heard of it.
(The girl, incidentally, had been traumatized by her experiences with an evil cult operating on campus. Because, you know, 1970.)
But Supergirl isn't the only one here displaying heretofore-unknown abilities. Here she again makes use of her Kryptonian super-telepathy, while Wonder Woman...casts a circle and conjures up a spirit?
The spirit, Morganna, is an old foe of Diana's, and is none too happy to be summoned--until she's told who is running the cult, and is then only too happy to lend a hand:
Fortunately for Linda, Diana just happened to have a brand spanking new Supergirl costume hanging on the rack! You wouldn't think there would be a lot of market for that sort of thing, but there you go.
And what about the indestructible part? Supergirl flies into volcanos, acid baths, the cold vacuum of space. Is this new costume going to hold up to that sort of thing? I'm guessing not. I'm guessing that the next time she goes into a burning building to rescue a baby, she's going to come out minus some costume. It's not a good thing.
Monday, November 13, 2006
More Silver Age Love Triangle Action [Spoilers for Avengers 114-128]
Now, I dug into the longboxes again for this one. I hate going into the longboxes in the winter. It's cold. They're heavy. But the search is always worthwhile.
I had so much fun looking once again at FF #132 (see a couple of posts ago) that I decided to dig into the Avengers box for some real early-70s comic book soap opera. This one took place at around the same time (1973). The poor fellow having his heart ripped to shreds this time? The Swordsman.
The Swordsman got his start back in the sixties, as primarily a Hawkeye villain--he had more or less mentored the young Hawk in his carnival days, and only later revealed himself to be a crook. He had battled the Avengers a while back. Now, however...well, here's my problem. He joined up with the Avengers in issue #114. My collection of Avengers starts with issue #115 (with a few scattered earlier issues). I don't actually know how it came about that he became an Avenger, not really. From what I was able to glean, he had continued with his criminal ways for quite a while, and then met a young woman, Mantis, who had convinced him to reform. The Avengers have a history of giving a second chance to super-powered not-quite-heroes, so there's nothing unbelievable about this. Mantis, who accompanied him, was a highly skilled martial arts expert who possessed a number of other, more mysterious powers as well.
So, all well and good, the former villain has been saved by the love of a good woman, just like in countless novels and movies before. I don't think this would fly today (witness my own reactions to the recent Black Adam/Isis interactions in 52) but in 1973 the ten-year-olds weren't looking far beyond the surface and I certainly bought the premise.
Here are the Swordsman and Mantis, the happy couple, shortly after their arrival at Avengers Mansion. Did I mention that these two had one of the most dysfunctional, codependent relationships in the entire Marvel Universe? Because they did. And here they are, helpfully encapsulating the weakly-rooted origin of their relationship. The Swordsman loves Mantis because she helped him to become a better man, gave him something to lean on when he needed it (which, as you'll see, was most of the time). She provides for him not only a moral compass but the strength that should come from within. As for Mantis, all she wants is "a strong, heroic man." One wonders about this, given that Mantis herself has a great deal of personal power and skill, but there you go--she needs to feel protected and safe. And while there is a definite interdependency, it's clear even at this point in the story that she does not need him as he needs her. (Please note a small indication of his jealousy/insecurity in the first panel.)
And above we see the beginning of the end for these two. The Swordsman, in true John Wayne fashion (seriously, I've seen John Wayne do this in a movie), has played the tough guy and ignored a potentially serious injury until this point--where he collapses and is carried of by Mantis to rest until his injury heals. Now, if this happened in a comic now, I wouldn't think much about it (apart from a quick "what an idiot!"). Thirty years ago, and particularly given the nature of the relatinship between Swordsman and Mantis? She wants a strong man. In this moment, he is no longer that. The fact that it is Mantis herself who is carrying him underlines a disparity in their power. Not that Mantis herself sees it this way at this point--but it's there, a visual cue, for the reader.
While the Swordsman is recovering, Mantis and the other Avengers (although she was not herself a member at this time, she helped out quite a bit) go off to battle against the crime cartel Zodiac. Their schtick was that each member dressed up like a sign of the Zodiac (Aries as a ram, Leo as a lion, and so forth). Although Mantis made an excellent showing, she was eventually defeated and thrown from a roof. Her saviour is the Vision, and she is damned impressed with him:
The Swordsman, sidelined from the battle due to his own injuries, is beside himself with worry. The Vision does not help matters with his comments here:
Is something going on here? wonders the Swordsman. Well, no, at least not from the Vision's point of view. He is in love with Wanda, and that's all there is to that. But the Vision is new to human interaction, and even if he were not, the Swordsman's irrational jealousy wouldn't be something he would take into consideration when praising a teammate's skill and valor as he does here. (The Swordsman doesn't know that Mantis herself has developed an appreciation for the android. His reaction here is based entirely on his own feelings.)
However, he will have no doubts about Mantis's own interests after he sees this:
There's a lot of action in these books as well, but I'm not writing about it here other than to put some of the soap into context. The Avengers continue to battle Zodiac. A member of Zodiac, Libra, jumps ship, revealing himself to be the father of Mantis and telling a long, sad tale of her life up to this point. Mantis is enraged--her own memories are of a happy childhood, not one in which her mother was tragically killed. She attacks Libra, and when the Avengers try to stop her she beats the crap out of them. Even Thor. Finally she is restrained by Libra himself.
Just then the Swordsman, who has overheard Libra's story and is desperate to redeem himself for his perceived weakness in Mantis' eyes, takes a plane and goes off after the man who killed her mother:
This...does not go as well as he might have hoped:
In fact, at this point the Swordsman pretty much melts into a big puddle of emo. I remember, as a child, feeling tremendously sorry for him, even though I'm sure I didn't grasp the entirety of his situation.
Honestly, from here on in it's all downhill. The Swordsman recovers his strength and attempts to function as an Avenger, but so overwhelmed is he with the inevitable loss of Mantis that he can barely hold it together enough to do his heroing, picking fights with the Vision in the middle of battle:
The Vision is, again, clueless. And now poor Wanda is brought into the mix:
Pretty soon Avengers mansion is filled with the expectation of loss, with angst, with fear, with smoldering glances, and no one can get any work done:
And yes, the Silver Age Vision (much as I adore him) could be a real dick. He has, obviously, no idea of how to handle this development. It's hard enough for him to deal with the relatively straightforward (if in many ways problematic) relationship he and Wanda share. There's no way he is able to comprehend the twisted dynamic of the relationship of the Swordsman and Mantis, into which he and Wanda have been drawn through no fault of their own. He doesn't understand why Wanda is so upset--understandable--and he's not all that interested in why. Granted that she is trying to have a big relationship talk in the middle of a battle:
For his part, the Swordsman is digging his hole deeper and deeper. He can see the writing on the wall, and he has no idea what to do to regain Mantis' love, which is so obviously slipping away:
She has decided that he can no longer give her what she believes she needs (a strong, self-sufficient man), and is thus no longer willing to give him what he needs from her.
Now, I don't remember this next bit from way back when I first read it, but I liked it quite a bit this time. Wanda has just been offered magical training by Agatha Harkness, and has jumped at the opportunity. Although she has been concerned about the Vision and Mantis, she doesn't let that distract her from her work:
Since Wanda was historically someone without a lot of focus--due in part, I'm sure, to the very arbitrary nature of her mutant hex power (what could it do? whatever the writers needed it to do) so it's nice to see, here, her trying to take charge of her own abilities, and giving that priority over relationship issues.
Meanwhile, other Avengers are more concerned with purely personal matters, as Mantis finally makes her break with the Swordsman:
and he, devastated, falls apart entirely. Mantis, for her part, having made up her mind, moves quickly...
...but to no avail. The Vision is not interested, and tells her so in no uncertain terms.
Go Vision! I knew it all the time.
Back to the action, the Avengers are attacked by Kang, who starts off the Celestial Madonna Saga by kidnapping not only every woman in the mansion (that would be Mantis, the Scarlet Witch, and Agatha Harkness) but all the men as well.
All but one:
Yeah, you know you're pathetic when even supervillains don't think you're worth their while.
But the Swordsman would get his chance. He's contacted by Agatha Harkness, who instructs him on how to reach the captive Avengers in Egypt. In a pyramid, of course. And he tries, he really does, but--at this point--he is still not making the best of impressions. He breaks into the pyramid easily enough, due to past experience as a tomb robber, but when he is confronted with the dangers within it, his emotional state catches up with him:
He stumbles his way through passages, somehow finding himself near Kang. What luck! But just when he's about to blast Kang with his sword, he is stopped by--Rama-Tut. End of story.
I say "end of story" because, well, I'm missing the next part. It was in Giant Size Avengers 2, which I lack. I did, however, take a quick look in Wikipedia, from which I learned that he dies saving Mantis from Kang, at which point she realizes (of course) that she really does love him after all, and redeems himself, and all that good stuff.
There are a few things that struck me about this story during the rereading.
First is how much I dislike the character of Mantis. I don't think even the ten-year-old me was that enthralled with her, since I thought she was pretty mean (although she had easily the best powers of any woman I'd seen up to that point), but now? Manipulative, self-centered, willing to break up not only her own relationship but someone else's in order to get what she wants, she's portrayed very negatively. She destroyed the Swordsman. And yet she was firmly on the side of the heroes. How often--thirty years ago--did we see someone not a villain whose character was so unlikable?
Second has to do with how damned stereotypical Mantis' character is. She's Asian, therefore she knows martial arts, has awareness beyond the understanding of Western folk, and is basically inscrutable. (Granted that we later learn that she was in fact trained by the Kree, but the point still stands.) She possessed a number of gender-stereotypical characteristics as well--the deference to the Swordsman, the stated need for "a strong man." Although I'm not sure how deep those went, she certainly displayed an abhorrance and scorn for a man who was not stereotypically strong, brave and heroic, equally as unrealistic, and certainly equally as disastrous for the Swordsman who tried to live up to her ideals in order to keep her..
Third is how fully the younger me bought into the notion that it was at all appropriate for either one of these people to be so responsible for the other's well-being. The notion of being saved by "the love of a good woman" (and destroye by its loss)? Not until we saw the results of that utter dependency, the weakness and incapacity born of drawing all of one's strength from another person, did I as a kid realize that there was something fundamentally wrong there. That was, I think, a pretty big thing to do in a comic in 1973--to write against the common ideal in that way.
I had so much fun looking once again at FF #132 (see a couple of posts ago) that I decided to dig into the Avengers box for some real early-70s comic book soap opera. This one took place at around the same time (1973). The poor fellow having his heart ripped to shreds this time? The Swordsman.
The Swordsman got his start back in the sixties, as primarily a Hawkeye villain--he had more or less mentored the young Hawk in his carnival days, and only later revealed himself to be a crook. He had battled the Avengers a while back. Now, however...well, here's my problem. He joined up with the Avengers in issue #114. My collection of Avengers starts with issue #115 (with a few scattered earlier issues). I don't actually know how it came about that he became an Avenger, not really. From what I was able to glean, he had continued with his criminal ways for quite a while, and then met a young woman, Mantis, who had convinced him to reform. The Avengers have a history of giving a second chance to super-powered not-quite-heroes, so there's nothing unbelievable about this. Mantis, who accompanied him, was a highly skilled martial arts expert who possessed a number of other, more mysterious powers as well.
So, all well and good, the former villain has been saved by the love of a good woman, just like in countless novels and movies before. I don't think this would fly today (witness my own reactions to the recent Black Adam/Isis interactions in 52) but in 1973 the ten-year-olds weren't looking far beyond the surface and I certainly bought the premise.
Here are the Swordsman and Mantis, the happy couple, shortly after their arrival at Avengers Mansion. Did I mention that these two had one of the most dysfunctional, codependent relationships in the entire Marvel Universe? Because they did. And here they are, helpfully encapsulating the weakly-rooted origin of their relationship. The Swordsman loves Mantis because she helped him to become a better man, gave him something to lean on when he needed it (which, as you'll see, was most of the time). She provides for him not only a moral compass but the strength that should come from within. As for Mantis, all she wants is "a strong, heroic man." One wonders about this, given that Mantis herself has a great deal of personal power and skill, but there you go--she needs to feel protected and safe. And while there is a definite interdependency, it's clear even at this point in the story that she does not need him as he needs her. (Please note a small indication of his jealousy/insecurity in the first panel.)
And above we see the beginning of the end for these two. The Swordsman, in true John Wayne fashion (seriously, I've seen John Wayne do this in a movie), has played the tough guy and ignored a potentially serious injury until this point--where he collapses and is carried of by Mantis to rest until his injury heals. Now, if this happened in a comic now, I wouldn't think much about it (apart from a quick "what an idiot!"). Thirty years ago, and particularly given the nature of the relatinship between Swordsman and Mantis? She wants a strong man. In this moment, he is no longer that. The fact that it is Mantis herself who is carrying him underlines a disparity in their power. Not that Mantis herself sees it this way at this point--but it's there, a visual cue, for the reader.
While the Swordsman is recovering, Mantis and the other Avengers (although she was not herself a member at this time, she helped out quite a bit) go off to battle against the crime cartel Zodiac. Their schtick was that each member dressed up like a sign of the Zodiac (Aries as a ram, Leo as a lion, and so forth). Although Mantis made an excellent showing, she was eventually defeated and thrown from a roof. Her saviour is the Vision, and she is damned impressed with him:
The Swordsman, sidelined from the battle due to his own injuries, is beside himself with worry. The Vision does not help matters with his comments here:
Is something going on here? wonders the Swordsman. Well, no, at least not from the Vision's point of view. He is in love with Wanda, and that's all there is to that. But the Vision is new to human interaction, and even if he were not, the Swordsman's irrational jealousy wouldn't be something he would take into consideration when praising a teammate's skill and valor as he does here. (The Swordsman doesn't know that Mantis herself has developed an appreciation for the android. His reaction here is based entirely on his own feelings.)
However, he will have no doubts about Mantis's own interests after he sees this:
There's a lot of action in these books as well, but I'm not writing about it here other than to put some of the soap into context. The Avengers continue to battle Zodiac. A member of Zodiac, Libra, jumps ship, revealing himself to be the father of Mantis and telling a long, sad tale of her life up to this point. Mantis is enraged--her own memories are of a happy childhood, not one in which her mother was tragically killed. She attacks Libra, and when the Avengers try to stop her she beats the crap out of them. Even Thor. Finally she is restrained by Libra himself.
Just then the Swordsman, who has overheard Libra's story and is desperate to redeem himself for his perceived weakness in Mantis' eyes, takes a plane and goes off after the man who killed her mother:
This...does not go as well as he might have hoped:
In fact, at this point the Swordsman pretty much melts into a big puddle of emo. I remember, as a child, feeling tremendously sorry for him, even though I'm sure I didn't grasp the entirety of his situation.
Honestly, from here on in it's all downhill. The Swordsman recovers his strength and attempts to function as an Avenger, but so overwhelmed is he with the inevitable loss of Mantis that he can barely hold it together enough to do his heroing, picking fights with the Vision in the middle of battle:
The Vision is, again, clueless. And now poor Wanda is brought into the mix:
Pretty soon Avengers mansion is filled with the expectation of loss, with angst, with fear, with smoldering glances, and no one can get any work done:
And yes, the Silver Age Vision (much as I adore him) could be a real dick. He has, obviously, no idea of how to handle this development. It's hard enough for him to deal with the relatively straightforward (if in many ways problematic) relationship he and Wanda share. There's no way he is able to comprehend the twisted dynamic of the relationship of the Swordsman and Mantis, into which he and Wanda have been drawn through no fault of their own. He doesn't understand why Wanda is so upset--understandable--and he's not all that interested in why. Granted that she is trying to have a big relationship talk in the middle of a battle:
For his part, the Swordsman is digging his hole deeper and deeper. He can see the writing on the wall, and he has no idea what to do to regain Mantis' love, which is so obviously slipping away:
She has decided that he can no longer give her what she believes she needs (a strong, self-sufficient man), and is thus no longer willing to give him what he needs from her.
Now, I don't remember this next bit from way back when I first read it, but I liked it quite a bit this time. Wanda has just been offered magical training by Agatha Harkness, and has jumped at the opportunity. Although she has been concerned about the Vision and Mantis, she doesn't let that distract her from her work:
Since Wanda was historically someone without a lot of focus--due in part, I'm sure, to the very arbitrary nature of her mutant hex power (what could it do? whatever the writers needed it to do) so it's nice to see, here, her trying to take charge of her own abilities, and giving that priority over relationship issues.
Meanwhile, other Avengers are more concerned with purely personal matters, as Mantis finally makes her break with the Swordsman:
and he, devastated, falls apart entirely. Mantis, for her part, having made up her mind, moves quickly...
...but to no avail. The Vision is not interested, and tells her so in no uncertain terms.
Go Vision! I knew it all the time.
Back to the action, the Avengers are attacked by Kang, who starts off the Celestial Madonna Saga by kidnapping not only every woman in the mansion (that would be Mantis, the Scarlet Witch, and Agatha Harkness) but all the men as well.
All but one:
Yeah, you know you're pathetic when even supervillains don't think you're worth their while.
But the Swordsman would get his chance. He's contacted by Agatha Harkness, who instructs him on how to reach the captive Avengers in Egypt. In a pyramid, of course. And he tries, he really does, but--at this point--he is still not making the best of impressions. He breaks into the pyramid easily enough, due to past experience as a tomb robber, but when he is confronted with the dangers within it, his emotional state catches up with him:
He stumbles his way through passages, somehow finding himself near Kang. What luck! But just when he's about to blast Kang with his sword, he is stopped by--Rama-Tut. End of story.
I say "end of story" because, well, I'm missing the next part. It was in Giant Size Avengers 2, which I lack. I did, however, take a quick look in Wikipedia, from which I learned that he dies saving Mantis from Kang, at which point she realizes (of course) that she really does love him after all, and redeems himself, and all that good stuff.
There are a few things that struck me about this story during the rereading.
First is how much I dislike the character of Mantis. I don't think even the ten-year-old me was that enthralled with her, since I thought she was pretty mean (although she had easily the best powers of any woman I'd seen up to that point), but now? Manipulative, self-centered, willing to break up not only her own relationship but someone else's in order to get what she wants, she's portrayed very negatively. She destroyed the Swordsman. And yet she was firmly on the side of the heroes. How often--thirty years ago--did we see someone not a villain whose character was so unlikable?
Second has to do with how damned stereotypical Mantis' character is. She's Asian, therefore she knows martial arts, has awareness beyond the understanding of Western folk, and is basically inscrutable. (Granted that we later learn that she was in fact trained by the Kree, but the point still stands.) She possessed a number of gender-stereotypical characteristics as well--the deference to the Swordsman, the stated need for "a strong man." Although I'm not sure how deep those went, she certainly displayed an abhorrance and scorn for a man who was not stereotypically strong, brave and heroic, equally as unrealistic, and certainly equally as disastrous for the Swordsman who tried to live up to her ideals in order to keep her..
Third is how fully the younger me bought into the notion that it was at all appropriate for either one of these people to be so responsible for the other's well-being. The notion of being saved by "the love of a good woman" (and destroye by its loss)? Not until we saw the results of that utter dependency, the weakness and incapacity born of drawing all of one's strength from another person, did I as a kid realize that there was something fundamentally wrong there. That was, I think, a pretty big thing to do in a comic in 1973--to write against the common ideal in that way.
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